Italian Architecture Award 2024 to Studio Pizzi for the Ceresè Winery in Montevecchia

The winners of the competition were revealed yesterday, late in the afternoon fifth edition of the Italian Architecture Awardthe annual recognition born from the partnership between the institutions of Triennale Milano and MAXXI of Rome, which every year collaborate for the valorization of Italian architecture, rewarding works created by Italian designers or those active in Italywhose commitment is aimed at innovation, the quality of the project and the social role of architecture.

This year it was MAXXI’s turn to act as the stage for the awards ceremony, which coincided with the inauguration of the great work of MAXXI NXT 2024, represented by the installation Quintessence of study Grazzini Tonazzini Colombo which automatically conquered the Under 35 award.

The best work of architecture instead puts the spotlight on CERESÈ CELLAR in Montevecchia, near Lecco, designed by Pietro Martino Federico Pizzi (Studio Pizzi).

As usual, the Lifetime Achievement Awardwhose choice fell unanimously on PIERLUIGI NICOLINarchitect, critic of international importance and director of the historic architecture magazine Lotus International.

All the winning, mentioned and reported projects of the Italian Architecture Award and the NXT program will be in exhibition in the space of the MAXXI Archives Centrevisitable until September 29, 2024.

The nominations for the Best Building Award were entrusted to a group of experts, nominated by Triennale and MAXXI. For the under 35 Award, in addition to the advisors’ recommendations, there was the possibility of self-nomination. For the Lifetime Achievement Award, the award was made directly by the Jury.

The jury was chaired by Lorenza Baroncelli (MAXXI) and composed of 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).

photo: © Guido Caltabiano

Award for the best building or intervention created in the last three years

Ceresé Winery in Montevecchia (Lecco)
→ by Pietro Martino Federico Pizzi – Studio Pizzi

Inaugurated just over a year ago, the Ceresè winery is a perfect example of balance between landscape and buildings. It is revealed little by little: first the pink line of the roof suspended over the vineyards, then the square and finally, as the slope of the land slopes down, the three fronts of the part of the building below the square, which recall the tones of clay.

For the jury “the project was able to harmonize the symbolic and formal qualities of a pure geometry, such as that of the circle, and at the same time a strong bond with the place, the local materials, the landscape”.

Award to the best Young Designer under 35

Quintessence, MAXXI NXT, Rome
→ by Grazzini Tonazzini Colombo

The winning project of Under 35 award and the 2024 edition of NXT is the setup Quintessence of the group Grazzini Tonazzini Colomboinaugurated today and ready to host the Museum’s summer events, offering visitors an oasis for relaxation, contemplation and play while staying in the outdoor spaces.

The volume of Quintessere, in galvanized sheet metal, compares with the geometries of the MAXXI, characterizing itself for its strong plasticity and the changeability of the shades at different times of the day.

The vertical planes construct three apparently identical boxes, which catch the eye and invite you to get closer to discover what happens inside. And here, as in the best settings, here is the magic of water features that never stop, continuing to mark the passage of time.

photo: © Guido Caltabiano

Lifetime Achievement Award to Pierluigi Nicolin

Unanimously, the jury awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award to Pierluigi Nicolinarchitect, critic of international importance and director of the historic architecture magazine Lotus International.

«The Lifetime Achievement Award to Pierluigi Nicolin – underlined Stefano Boeri – 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. His link with the Triennale took shape through an intense activity of curating and planning projects and exhibitions, including the 17th International Exhibition with Le città imagine (1987) and the exhibition Le città del mondo e il futuro della metropoli (1988), or again with the award in 2003 of the Gold Medal of Italian Architecture, a prize established by the Triennale, which was awarded to him in the section dedicated to criticism. A dialogue that continues today with the recent acquisition by Triennale, which will become its publisher in 2026, of the Lotus magazine, whose excellence recognized throughout the world is linked to the work of Pierluigi Nicolin.”

At the same time, MAXXI and Triennale are committed to continuing the work done by Nicolin and the legacy built over the years. MAXXI will acquire the magazine’s archive and Triennale will become its publisher.

The honorable mentions

The jury also awarded three honorable mentions, respectively to Bicocca Superlab by Balance Architettura (finalist of the BigMat Prize), at the Bressanone Civic Library by Carlana Mezzalira Pentimalli and The Heat Garden by the Turin architect Luciano Pia.

The reported projects

In addition to the mentions, the jury decided to highlight six projects:

there valorisation 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;
SON Cascina San Carlo by B22 by architect Stefano Tropea with Carlo Venegoni (Milan, 2022);
there Church of Santa Maria Goretti (Mormanno, 2021) by Mario Cucinella Architects;
The Oliverian Archaeological Museum (Pesaro, 2022) of the STARTT group;
Bird (Ripa teatina, Chieti, 2023) by the HPO studio, among the protagonist projects of the Italian Pavilion of the Venice Biennale 2023.