Make your mark in Milan: Fondazione Fiera Milano “seeks” under-35 people for Portello Pavilion 1-2 redevelopment

Milan, 1 December 2014 – “Make your mark in Milan” is the title chosen by Fondazione Fiera Milano for the competition of ideas to redevelop Pavilion 1-2 at Portello, in Fieramilanocity, and published on http://www.fondazionefieramilano.it/it/fiere-e-congressi/concorso-di-idee.html

The competition aims to get the city, especially its younger and more innovative people, involved in the redevelopment of a significant part of the historical Fiera di Milano exhibition complex. The intent is to receive stimulating proposals, innovative ideas and iconic material that can be used as an “image product” for the initiative and accompany the redevelopment project from the expressions of interest to project completion.

The competition is for creative talents under 35 years of age on the date of the 31 January deadline. Individual or team applications will be accepted. For work groups taking part in the competition, the members shall appoint a team leader. However, for the purposes of the competition, the group will be considered a single unit and all its members must meet the competition requirements.

The competition of ideas will end with the awarding of three prizes amounting to a total of 45,000 Euros, and broken down as follows:

_ 20,000 Euros to the winner

_ 15,000 Euros to the second-place contestant

_ 10,000 Euros to the third-place contestant

The participants shall interpret the theme of the redevelopment of Pavilion 1-2 at Portello dedicating all their creative and artistic talent to a concept and a suggestion that interpret the key words of the regeneration project:

  1. innovation, in terms of functional contents, new materials and technologies, energy approach, architectural vision;
  2. inclusion, that is the power of engaging the city and its citizens in the proposed activities, integration of new uses with the surrounding urban context and focus on environmental issues and slow mobility;
  3. centrality, intended as being the ability to integrate the parts of the urban system in an organic complex that can become both a new center of attraction and at the same time an icon for the surroundings and the city

The result of the competition will be a harmonious interpretation of the three key words above, which shall inspire the regeneration project.

The competition - explained Benito Benedini, Chairman and CEO of Fondazione Fiera Milano – is using a call for tenders to collect expressions of interest which was presented on 14 October. We believe this will provide the ideal support and stimulus in a completely independent way. In fact, Fondazione wants to place the theme of the redevelopment of Pavilion 1-2 at Portello under a different profile of creative design by addressing young talents. We would like to point out – Benedini ended – that although the competition was called by a private entity (Fondazione Fiera Milano), the expected transformation will have positive spinoffs on the area and the entire city, with new functions and public and private spaces.

The competition is an anonymous, one-step procedure ending with a merit shortlist drawn up by a Judging Panel set up after the final deadline for submission of projects (31 January 2015). The 5 judges on the Panel will be selected from among the most well-known names in architecture, graphics, design and communications.

Proposals will be submitted in a sealed unidentifiable envelope addressed to the competition secretariat at the Fondazione Fiera Milano registered offices. The envelope will contain two other envelopes; the first with the design proposal and the second with the administrative documents. The Commission will then trace every project enclosed in the envelopes to its legitimate owner.

Each proposal will be rated out of 100 points maximum as follows:

_ interpretation of the redevelopment theme: up to 25 points;
_ interpretation of the key words: up to 60 points;
_ originality of the interpretation, effectiveness of the representation and communicative efficacy of the product: up to 15 points.