At the inaugural World Architecture Festival Awards, held in Barcelona in October, the new faculty building at Luigi Bocconi University, Milan was announced as the first ever winner of the World Building of the Year Award.
Awards were given in 17 building categories with the overall winner coming from the Learning category, sponsored by Keim Paints, which covered entries from schools, universities, academies and the like. The highly eminent panel of judges praised Grafton Architects for the design of the Luigi Bocconi University building in particular for succeeding in distilling the essence of the city into a confident, contemporary form.
The building includes offices for 1,000 professors, 5 conference halls, lecture theatres, courtyards and concourses all of which are accessible to the public with offices for teaching staff suspended above.
Directors of Grafton Architects, Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara commented, “We are delighted to have won this accolade for what is the biggest project we have ever undertaken. We were trying to make the University a miniature city where public realm connects with the rest of the city and the campus provides a window to Milan. Being in the city for 6 years we have grown to love this project, which has changed our lives. A wonderful client, place and ambition all contribute to good architecture, and we had all three.”
Gareth Davies of Keim Paints added “The awards themselves proved an excellent celebration of innovation and quality of design applied to buildings around the globe to enhance our lives. In the Learning category alone, not only was there a superb variety of designs but also a great deal of cutting edge technology and new applications. We were delighted with the entry level and to have been involved as a sponsor in recognition of the important role of architects in the specification of the most appropriate materials for the buildings they design.”
The World Architecture Festival is one of the most significant dates in the global architecture calendar. It is the biggest architectural event in the world, which looks beyond borders to celebrate the finest work from the world’s greatest architects.
Keim Paints are specialist mineral based paints with a microcrystalline structure which forms a chemical bond with mineral substrates. They provide longlife protection and decoration for mineral substrates and have been widely specified by leading architectural practices on prestige projects including the Stirling Prize winning New Scottish Parliament buildings, Foster + Partners Budenberg Haus Projeckte and Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium. The paints are breathable and mould and algae resistant and fade free even for the strongest colours. They are environmentally friendly as they contain no VOC’s, use only natural earth oxide pigments and are waterbased. They are also inherently incombustible achieving Class ‘0’ rating under BS476 Parts 6 & 7.
For further information please contact: WNA
Telephone: (01543) 419284 – Fax: (01543) 251201
E-mail: j@wnapr.com
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