The future of design: Mario Cucinella
“For us, sustainability is the search for a new beauty“.
Mario Cucinella Architects, an architecture and design studio, founded in Paris by Mario Cucinella in 1992, with two offices in Milan and Bologna, brings together national and international talents in different fields but all aimed at following projects capable of combining the most cutting-edge technologies with objectives of environmental, social and moral sustainability.
To reach the highest standards in the design and construction industry, there is an internal research and development department (MCA R&D), which studies future building trends without forgetting the past to bring continuous innovation and encourage experimentation in the field.
An example is the creation of a 50 m2 housing unit, called Tecla, partially furnished and created using a 3D printer in technological field of WASP (World’s Advanced Saving Project) in Massa Lombarda, a prototype of a future eco-housing made with natural and local materials with very low carbon emissions, to satisfy the need for 0-km green housing adaptable to the different local climate.
The Wasp company is inspired by the mason wasp, the one who builds nests for the larvae with clay or small stones, and was born with the intention of developing 3D printers to make homes with local materials. One of the most important advantages offered by 3D printing technology as compared to traditional construction techniques is its extreme flexibility of form.
The purpose of the Tecla project is to create autonomous housing agglomerations capable of producing and manage independently water, energy and waste.
Sustainability therefore becomes the driving force, which does not neglect the aesthetic aspect, on the contrary, enhances it especially to improve people’s lives and health while respecting the territory.
Mario Cucinella Architects’ main purpose is to discover, value and protect ‘the soul’ of each place and its peculiar features.
In this regard, Palazzo Senza Tempo in the historic center of Peccioli, a medieval Tuscan village, won the Novum Design Award 2022, the most important architecture design award in the world. Through the courageous renovation of a central historic building, a total riqualification of the whole cultural heritage was achieved, also creating new spaces for local activities. A very beautiful project also from an aesthetic point of view: a complete modern enhancement of environments with an important medieval history.
Mind, ‘the beginning of a new city’ between Rho and Milan, is another important project, developed in collaboration with LAND. It was born in the footsteps of Expo2015 and is based on the development of 4 main spatial areas: work and innovation, housing, healthcare and circulation. Among these there will be meeting places such as bars, restaurants, laboratories, sports spaces but especially parks and gardens to meet its very high sustainability standards and to encourage slow and car-free mobility.
The development of all these projects led Mario Cucinella and other partners to found SOS – School of Sustainability Foundation, a place where it is possible to train the true professionals of the future through a highly innovative and practical postgraduate Master’s degree, based on real projects and case studies, which require original and competent solutions to solve the increasingly complex environmental problems.
“Design for life and you design for beauty”.
Vegan Suite for Mario Cucinella
