6 May 2022 | Updated: May 20, 2022

The first edition of the Porcelanosa International Project Award has begun

Porcelanosa Group, in collaboration with BAM (Biblioteca degli Alberi Milano), has kicked off the first edition of the Porcelanosa International Project Award (PIPA).

PIPA is an international architecture contest set up to promote and support architectural creativity worldwide. It focuses on integrating design with the environment, in line with the values BAM promotes as part of its cultural programming.
The finalists will be showcased in an outdoor exhibition from 6 to 14 May. The finalists in each of the four categories - residential, retail, hotel sector and public spaces - will present their work before a world-renowned jury on 11 May at PORCELANOSA's flagship store in Milan. A gala will be held on 12 May in the BAM botanical gardens to announce the winners of each category.

Designs integrated into the environment

The PORCELANOSA team will select five finalists for each category from more than 120 proposals in 32 different countries. They'll base their decision on various factors such as originality and spatial sensitivity. The proposals - all inspired by their environment and developed with their surroundings in mind - stand out for their unique nature.

Residential	Retail
Alberta ResidentialAlberta, Canadá	Centro Comercial Plaza de las AmericasBogotá, Colombia
Queen’s Drive LaneGlasgow, Reino Unido	Glo Center ExperienceLagos, Nigeria
XunKari TulumTulum, México	Ayala Greenbelt 3 MallMakati, Filipinas
The SilvaWashington, DC, EEUU	Edeka Rhine-Ruhr HeadquarterMoers, Alemania
Casa OriolValencia, España	Al Hira BeachSharjah City, EAU

Hotel sector	Public spaces
Arizona Biltmore – A Waldorf Astoria ResortArizona, EEUU	Hursey Center, University of HartforConnecticut, EEUU
Bunc HotelDenver, EEUU	Al QanaAbu Dhabi, EAU
Domaine de l’EpauLe Mans, Francia	Angelini HeadquarterRoma, Italia
Hotel Grand Fiesta AmericanaOaxaca, México	Home Plate Project, WBSC HeadquarterPully, Suiza
Hotel Only YouValencia, España	Liceo Mexicano JaponésCiudad de México, México

The main objective of the contest is to highlight the work of professionals in the sector, and to promote the value and authenticity of their works in terms of integrating their project with its surroundings. The projects that best incorporate the natural or urban environment into their design will be rewarded.

BAM exhibition of projects

The finalists of the four categories will be exhibited from 6 to 14 May on modular panels placed throughout the BAM Botanical Garden, as part of an exhibition for BAM Design Week in Milan.

BAM - Biblioteca degli Alberi Milano is a contemporary park conceived as an urban botanical library: a magical place where the vegetation and walkways intertwine to create green spaces in irregular shapes, with circular forests and flower-laden meadows.

This new urban park, spanning 90,000 square metres, represents an innovative model of public-private collaboration. Owned by Milan's city council and constructed by COIMA, the maintenance, security and cultural programming are managed by the Riccardo Catella Foundation, inspired by the UN's sustainable development goals.

A jury of international renown

Projects will be presented before an international panel of experts on 11 May at Milan's flagship PORCELANOSA store - number 19 in the iconic Piazza Castello, opposite Sforzesco Castle.

Members of the jury include architect Leonardo Cavalli (co-founder of One Works and member of the Italian Institute of Architects), Michel Rojkind (co-founder of the innovative Rojkind Arquitectos studio in Mexico), Greg Truen (partner at South African architecture studio Saota) and Anabel Fernández Rubio (senior partner at the renowned and historic Kohn Pederesen Fox Associates (KPF) architecture studio in the USA).

The winners of each category will be unveiled on the afternoon of 12 May at a gala to be held in the stunning in the BAM gardens.