Call for Ideas: Keep Alive the sense of Wonder

Architecture Competition: Call for Ideas: Keep Alive the sense of Wonder

Project objective is the creation of an educational mini-park/relaxation area in SIFI S.p.A. headquarters, located in Ercole Patti, 36 street (Aci Sant’Antonio – Catania, Italy).

The selection committee will take into account individual professionals or teams of emerging architects, landscape architects, agronomists, garden designers, botanists, nursery gardeners, urban planners, engineers, artists, curators and people with the necessary skills to develop and build a garden. The Festival encourages participants to form multidisciplinary teams. The selection committee is also honoured to invite firms, associations, cooperatives, schools and universities. In any case, all members of the formed groups must be no older than 36 years old on January 30, 2022. Students can have the support of rely upon a professor/mentor who can be over 36 years old. Every designer or member of a group of designers can submit only one application.

The area is located at the bottom of Mount Etna, the majestic and tallest volcano in Europe, and extends to a unique and unvaluable environment, which is rich in scents and colors. The Call for Ideas is dedicated to the development of an educational garden, located within the area owned by the SIFI S.p.A., in the middle of the area surrounding the volcano. The design should aim to generate that sense of wonder expressed in SIFI’s motto, “Keep Alive the Sense of Wonder” and must be a place of learning and discovery for the young guests of the company kindergarten and relaxation for employees and visitors.

SIFI’s vision focuses on care towards the territory and environmental sustainability. In this view, it is required that the project include the design of a subirrigation system for the exploitation and recycling of purified water. The key words for the project will accordingly be: – Children – Education – Relaxation, mental and physical well-being – Recycling – Wellness The designer, or the team of designers, will have to integrate the project with a list of botanical species and elements, in addition to the pedestrian path and the artificial pond.

Applications must be submitted online only, after registering on the https://www.radicepurafestival.com website by following the provided directions. Deadline: January 30, 2022 at 12pm. Participation is free of charge.

The designer, or the winning team, will be awarded with a cash prize worth € 2,000.00 donated by Sifi S.p.A.