Porcelanosa International Project Award: Award ceremony

BAM (the Biblioteca degli Alberi di Milano library) was the first venue chosen to host the Porcelanosa International Project Award ceremony

In this first edition, the winning projects were Casa Oriol (Valencia, Spain) in the residential category, Al Hira Beach (Sharjah City, UAE) in the commercial category, Hotel Gran Fiesta Americana (Oaxaca, Mexico) in the hotel category and Al Qana (Abu Dhabi, UAE) in the public spaces category. All of them represent excellent examples of design integrated into the environment, the main theme of this year's awards.

Innovation, architecture and talent

The BAM Park in Milan provided the main stage for the Porcelanosa International Project Award ceremony, an international architecture competition organised by the PORCELANOSA Group to promote and support the creativity of architects from all over the world. The awards were presented on Thursday, 12 May to the most outstanding projects in the competition's four categories (residential, commercial, hotel and public spaces) at a gala where innovation, architecture and talent became the real protagonists.

In the residential category, the winning project was Casa Oriol (Valencia, España), thanks to its unique design connecting the indoors with the outdoors and bringing the landscape into the heart of the home. The winning commercial project was Al Hira Beach (Sharjah City , UAE), for its meticulous, elegant design incorporating premium quality materials and the highest standards of environmental sustainability. In the hotel category, the winning project was Hotel Gran Fiesta Americana (Oaxaca, México), thanks to its redefining of the hotel concept, fusing tradition and modernity. And finally, Al Qana (Abu Dhabi, UAE) won the award for the public spaces category, for its clever blending of architecture with landscape. The jury gave a special mention to The Silva (Washington, DC, USA) , and the Critics Award went to the Home Plate Project - WBSC Headquarters (Pully, Switzerland).

The winning projects masterfully illustrate that architecture and landscape are no longer two static and isolated concepts. Buildings are no longer immobile elements and they in fact interact with their environment, enabling communication between the two. This is a dialogue that culminates into a fusion of architecture and environment, be it urban or rural.

Leading international names in architecture and interior design

Across the four categories, a total of 123 projects were submitted, all presenting different characteristics and dimensions and coming from 32 different countries. Of these projects, 5 finalists for each category were selected in February, taking into account the fundamental premise of this year's awards : designs inspired by and integrated into the environment. The submissions were showcased at PORCELANOSA subsidiaries around the world, at official distributors and also at associate entities.

The jury was made up of a group of renowned architects who are experts in the field: 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 (co-founder of 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).

Awards ceremony

Organised by Valeria Ciardello, the gala provided an exclusive atmosphere with privileged views of the BAM botanical garden, an incomparable setting to celebrate the merging of architecture and landscape.

The event's 100 guests, including the nominees, jury members and heads of the PORCELANOSA sales team, enjoyed an open-air soiree which was meticulously planned down to the last detail in keeping with the theme of the awards.

After the ceremony, guests were able to savour an international menu put together by the three Michelin-starred chef Enrico Bartolini at the Pandenus restaurant, just a stone's throw from the venue of the awards gala. A fascinating evening in which design and innovation took centre stage.

Presentation of the finalists

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

The BAM - Biblioteca degli Alberi Milano is a 90,000 square-metre urban park that is famous for its views of the Bosco Verticale, as well as for its irregular shapes, circular forests and flowery meadows. It is owned by the City of Milan and was built by COIMA. It is managed by the Riccardo Catella Foundation, which is responsible for its maintenance, security and cultural programming.