To mark the third edition of the Italian Design Day in the World dedicated to the theme “Design and the City of the Future”, the Embassy of Italy to the State of Qatar has organized, in partnership with Msheireb Properties, the panel discussion “New Patterns in the City of the Future” in the evocative venue of the Msheireb Enrichment Centre at the Corniche, on March 20th, 6:30 pm.
“The Italian Design Day in Qatar – says H.E. Ambassador of Italy, Pasquale Salzano – has become through years a very special occasion to promote initiatives that help us explain and express at best cultural traits, know-how and ideas inspiring the “Made in Italy” design. Our aim is to contribute to display this unique system of values and knowledge, enhancing connections and relations with local companies and partners”.
The event will feature the Italian renowned Architect Ico Migliore, awarded three “Compasso d’Oro ADI” prizes, eleven “Red Dot Design Awards”, two “German Design Awards” and two “IDA – International Design Awards” for the projects conceived in the field of cultural, interior and urban design. He teaches Interior Design at Politecnico di Milano and he is visiting professor at Dongseo University of Busan (South Korea). In 1997 he founded in Milan the firm Migliore+Servetto Architects with Mara Servetto, which creates projects that stand out for their on-going research into defining places with a memorable experience and identity, characterised by an expressive use of light and new technologies.
Architect Migliore will outline the latest developments in urban design, a field which has become more and more crucial in determining the evolution of cities in terms of cultural-environmental sustainability and urban livability for citizens. The panel discussion will also deal with the concept of “smart cities” in order to explore how digital technologies can be applied to modern infrastructures and facilities to make our cities more efficient and secure.
“Urban planning and design are currently facing major challenges” continues H.E. Ambassador of Italy, Pasquale Salzano. “Overpopulation, pollution, uncontrolled sprawl: these are all issues that need to be properly addressed in order to plan future urban developments in line with the highest standards of quality life we want to ensure for next generations”.
“Bright examples in Qatar of this wise vision can be identified in the ‘Msheireb Downtown Doha’ project, aimed at transforming the city’s old commercial district into a modern hub through the implementation of the highest standards in green building and the adoption of an architectural language capable of combining innovation, sustainability and local architectural traditions. Same thing for Lusail City, also known as ‘The city of the future’, a sustainable and comprehensively planned city signifying Qatar’s progress on a grand scale, in line with Qatar’s National Vision 2030 in the field of real estate development”.
“The Italian design industry – continues the Ambassador – is at the fore-front in terms of effective and sustainable solutions and green technologies. It is well known all over the world for the creative and inspiring ideas of our visionary designers, whose projects are aimed at identifying the balance between innovation and cultural roots, new lines and forms and architectural traditions, efficiency and beauty”.
Fatima Mohamed Fawzy M A Hassan, Design Manager at Msheireb Properties, and Engineer Marco Ghisi from the Italian company Leonardo Spa, will be part of the panel to discuss with Architect Migliore the role of design and high technologies in transforming today’s urban areas into future “smart cities”.
Architect Ico Migliore, the Italian design “ambassador” in Doha
Ico Migliore is an architect who was awarded three “Compasso d’Oro ADI” prizes, eleven “Red Dot Design Awards”, two “German Design Awards” and two “IDA – International Design Awards” for the projects conceived in the field of cultural, interior and urban design. He teaches Interior Design at Politecnico di Milano and he is visiting professor at Dongseo University of Busan (South Korea).
In 1997 he founded in Milan the firm Migliore+Servetto Architects with Mara Servetto, which creates projects that stand out for their on-going research into defining places with a memorable experience and identity, characterised by an expressive use of light and new technologies.
He has developed worldwide projects and installations for some of the most important museums, institutions and international brands such as B&B Italia, Minotti, Luceplan, Max Mara, Tod’s Group, Roger Vivier, Ermenegildo Zegna, Iceberg, Adidas, Fila and Mondadori.
Recent projects include: Chopin Muzeum in Warsaw, whose collection belongs to UNESCO World’s Memory List; “Leonardiana. A new Museum”in Vigevano, a project that has transformed part of the ancient castle into a museum dedicated to Leonardo da Vinci; the Savings Museum in Turin for Intesa Sanpaolo Bank,dedicated to the history of the coin. For the same client, which is the lead banking group of Italy, the studio produced the permanent lighting installation “α-cromactive” within the bioclimatic greenhouse of Intesa Sanpaolo skyscraper in Turin.
Alongside Italo Lupi and Mara Servetto, Ico Migliore has carried out the urban design projects: “Look of the City”, for Torino 2006 Winter Olympic Games, and the lighting installation on the Mole Antonelliana for the 150th Anniversary of the Unification of Italy. Having won the competition, they are now developing the permanent exhibition of the new Adi Design Museum Compasso d’Oro in Milan.
He recently realized the Italian Pavilion “4 Elements Taking Care” at the XXII International Triennale Exhibition of Milan “Broken Nature: Design takes on Human Survival”, of which he was also art director and co-curator. He is currently working in the city of Busan (Pusan), South Korea, on the “Blue Line Park” project involving the conversion of 5 km of abandoned railway tracks in the waterfront area into a thematic and acoustic park.
He has also taken part in several international conventions both in Italy and abroad, such as: “Metamorph”, the IX International Architecture Exhibition of Venice (La Biennale); “Seeds for better cities” at SDSN-Beijing Health Forum; “Shaping the City: A Forum for Sustainable Cities and Communities” in context of the XVI Venice Architecture Biennale 2018.
Lately the studio has launched its M+S lab. Founded on research and experimentation on the main subject of time in relation to space-design, this project aims to allow a side view of technical planning through the highest level of expertise and experience coming from many young people who have achieved excellence in different fields. This is done in the belief that sharing competence and know-how is the key for imagining design in the future.
