The Results
The second edition of the International Competition for architectural projects entitled “Living in the Mediterranean ” , organised by the Regional Council of Sicilian Architects in collaboration with the Mediterranean Union of Architects (UMAR) and sponsored by the National Council of Architects (CNAPPC), has come to an end.
The competition, inaugurated in Turin in July 2008 during the XXIII World Architecture Congress, launched the theme of the “PIAZZA”, understood as the fundamental topos of living: a place for social gatherings and cultural exchanges in every society throughout the Mediterranean ; it is not just the topic of the Competition but is also a proposition to be considered and debated in subsequent meetings of UMAR. On that occasion, the phase during which the virtual postcards were to be collected was initiated; these postcards would be sent exclusively via internet through the dedicated website: abitareilmediterraneo.org. The deadline for submitting competing projects was the 20 th November 2008 and from that date the work of the jury, also carried out online, was set in motion.
The Jury, composed of Nevio Parmeggiani (representing CNAPPC), David Pace (representing UMAR), Pantelis Nicolacopoulos (freelancer, winner of the previous edition), Roberto Collovà (representing The Regional Council of Sicily) and Pietro Paolo Mincio (director of the Competition), confirmed that out of the ninety-two architects from the Mediterranean basin who registered with the site, forty-one sent the requested material as stipulated in the announcement; seven were excluded as the projects had not been realised.
The jury carried out their deliberations until 3 rd January through various “meetings” via the dedicated online chat room; the results were presented by the Competition Director, architect Mincio, during the General Assembly of UMAR, which took place in Fez, Morocco, on the 13 th January. In accordance with the competition announcement, the prizes will be presented to the winners during the Extraordinary General Assembly of UMAR and during the events accompanying the Mediterranean games in Pescara , in May 2009.
Taking into account the criteria set out in the Competition's regulations - the Architectonic quality of the proposed idea, Contemporariness, Connection with the territory, Connection with traditional urban development and way of living - the jury arrived at the following results by unanimous decision:
• 1 st Prize for best project for a new piazza to Giovanni Laganà (Condofuri Marina -RC) - realisation of the linear piazza at Condofuri Marina (RC), 2008 , which expresses a modern concept of a linear urban space connected to both the urban fabric and the open horizon through the calculated use of materials and symbols. In short: a modern Mediterranean piazza.
• 1 st Prize for the best restructuring of a historic piazza to Enric Massip-Bosch - EMBA estudi MASSIP-BOSCH Arquitectes (BARCELONA) - remodelling of the Place de la République , Vila de Leucate (France), 2005/2007 , for the quality of the project which, by means of a simple intervention in the piazza's original elevations, creates a space where the difference in level becomes a focal point which highlights in a highly versatile way the different functions of the piazza by day and by night and embraces the pre-existing elements effectively without losing its contemporary connotations.
Special Prize for the best project designed by a Sicilian architect to Aurelio Cantone , Studio Associato Cantone – Ortoleva (Catania) - Sagrato di Madonna del Piano, Grammichele (CT), 2001/2004 , for the ability to entirely reshape a new open space making use of the topography of the location to define its scope and its boundaries, in each case making use of processes and materials appropriate to their function. The stairway and the style of the intervention enhance what is a sort of artificial valley. In this way, the designer simultaneously constructs an urban space and a new landscape, and creates a work of art.