The story of the continues Italian Architecture Award. Rome and Milan, with their respective MAXXI And Triennial on the front line, they therefore continue to work together in the common front of valorising and promoting Italian architecture, in a country where the debate around the discipline struggles to go beyond the circle of specialists. Reached his fifth editionthe recognition confirms the division into three categories, associated with as many awards: that for lifetime achievement, awarded unanimously to the architect, critic and director of the magazine Lotus International Pierluigi Nicolin; the one reserved for the best building built in the last three years by a designer (or an Italian studio or one with a professional base in Italy), which was won by Ceresé Winery in Montevecchia (in the province of Lecco), work of Pietro Martino Federico Pizzi – studiopizzi; the one for the best designer under 35, which confirms the rise of the group Grazzini Tonazzini Colombo. This is the same team that won the program NXT 2024the outcome of which is installation Quintessenceinaugurated in the square of MAXXI simultaneously with the ceremony.
Awards, mentions and recommendations are due to the jury chaired by Lorenza Baroncelli (MAXXI); to compose it: Stefano Boeri (Triennale Milan), Pippo Ciorra (MAXXI), Nina Bassoli (Triennale Milan), Cornelia Mattiacci(Prada Foundation), Sara Marini (IUAV), Stefano Pujiatti (ELASTICOSPA) e Michael Obrist (TU Wien). “The awarding of the Lifetime Achievement Award to Pierluigi Nicolin coincides with the acquisition of the Lotus international archive. It is therefore with great pleasure that on this occasion we announce the entry into the MAXXI Architecture Collection of the heritage of one of the most authoritative magazines on the global architectural scene”, he declared on this occasion Alessandro Giuli, President of the MAXXI Foundation, who only a year ago hoped for the renewal of the agreement between the two cultural institutions, as actually happened. Until September 29, 2024, the MAXXI Architettura Archive Center hosts the exhibition of the winning and finalist projects of the Italian Architecture Award and the NXT program, also curated by Pippo Ciorra. Below, the overview of the winning projects of the 2024 Italian Architecture Award
The article continues below
The best Italian building in the last three years is a wine cellar
Commissioned to the architects Pietro Martino Federico Pizzi – studiopizzi by the Azienda Agricola il Ceresé, the Ceresé Winery wins the 2024 Italian Architecture Award as best Italian building of the last three years. Completed in Montevecchia (LC) in 2023, it convinced the jury for “its ability to express abstract qualities – linked to pure geometries and design clarity – and strong links with the land, production, landscape”. Furthermore, for the commission, the winery has a “‘two-faced’ character” That “it is also manifested in the functional program of the building, dedicated to the contemplation and exhibition of art as well as to the processing and presentation to the public of the products of the place in which it is located”.
The Grazzini Tonazzini Colombo group emerges as the best designer under 35
The positive phase of the professional partnership between architects continues Michele Grazzini, Andrea Tonazzini and Giorgia Colombo. The three designers, after being selected by the advisors, competed in the NXT 2024 program, promoted by MAXXI and curated by Pippo Ciorra to enhance young people in the sector. From the shortlist of four selected, within the competition, they then obtained the task of creating thesummer installation located in the MAXXI square. And that’s exactly why Quintessencethis is the name given to the galvanized sheet metal stage set intended to host the MAXXI summer events, which won the under 35 category of the Italian Architecture Award.
Lifetime Achievement Award to architect and founder of Lotus international Pierluigi Nicolin
“The Lifetime Achievement Award to Pierluigi Nicolin represents an important and dutiful recognition of the incessant work of criticism, university teaching, research and editorial care on Italian and international architecture that Nicolin has carried out for over fifty years“, commented Stefano Boeri, also recalling the designer’s long-standing collaboration with Triennale Milan. A relationship that “took shape through intense curating and programming of projects and exhibitions, including the 17th International Exhibition with Imagined Cities (1987) and the exhibition The Cities of the World and the Future of the Metropolis (1988), or even with the award in 2003 of the Gold Medal of Italian Architecture, a prize established by Triennale, which was awarded to him in the section dedicated to criticism”. Furthermore, as already announced, from 2026 Triennale Milano will become the publisher of the magazine Lotus. Born in 1941, Nicolin was Full Professor of Architectural Composition at the Faculty of Architecture of the Polytechnic of Milan, as well as a founding member of Gregotti Associati. Since 1978 he has led Studio Nicolin in Milan, carrying out his publishing and editorial activity in parallel with his magazine.
Mentions and recommendations of the 2024 Italian Architecture Award
Finally, the list of projects that have obtained the award does not hold any major surprises honorable mention in this edition of the award. It’s about BALANCE ARCHITECTURE, with the project Bicocca Superlab (Milan, 2022), by the Carlana Mezzalira Pentimalli studio, with the Brixen civic library (2022), and Luciano Pia with The Heat Garden (Turin, 2022) are the interventions mentioned by the jury.
The study was then reported Mario Cucinella Architects, for the Church of Santa Maria Goretti (Mormanno, 2021); the group START for the installation at the Oliveriano Archaeological Museum (Pesaro, 2022); I study HPO for the surgery Bird (Ripa teatina, Chieti, 2023), i.e. one of the so-called “activations” promoted at the same time as the Italian Pavilion at the 2023 Architecture Biennale). The valorization of the Piacenza centre (Bergamo, 2018) by Gianluca Gelmini, Mariola Peretti, Luigino Pirola, Simone Zenoni, Elena Franchioni and Carlo Peretti; FGF Building (Seoul, South Korea) by andreacaputo.com and B22 by architect Stefano Tropea with Carlo Venegoni (SON Cascina San Carlo, Milan, 2022).
Artribune is also on Whatsapp. Simply click here to subscribe to the channel and always be updated
