NEB Prizes 2021: All Applications

BITARTEAN (Meanwhile in Basque) is an urban strategy focused on the temporary revitalisation of spaces in urban suspense. Initiated from an architectural and planning perspective, the project has later been developed cinematographically and finally put into practice by creating AZPI Kultur Elkartea, a project installed in a degraded building in Egia (Donostia, Basque Country) generating a space for the empowerment and fostering of artists, architects, designers and other cultural expressions.

M.A.I.S. is an urban regeneration of the ex-slaughterhouse area in Milan. The acronym stands for Memory.Agriculture.Innovation.Sustainability, the principles on which we built the concept of the entire masterplan. The project is thought to be developed through different progressive steps, starting from today’s situation of abandonment and intense cementification and evolving towards a greener and healthier place rich in biodiversity and activities capable to include people with different needs.

The goal of the research was to investigate the impact of a hybrid model and remote education with respect to pragmatic design exploration and making. For that purpose, a unique workshop was conducted with the collaboration of two applied research institutes in Barcelona (Spain) and Seoul (South Korea), aiming to provide a knowledge transfer around the globe on a recurrent topic of '3D printing recycled city plastic ' through an intensive pedagogical course using robotic fabrication tools.

Rocklumina combines the functions of lamp and diffuser and improves an existing object that does not have sustainability criteria: the rock salt lamps. Completely made in Italy using only pure Italian rock salt crystals colored with natural pigments using solar energy, this lamp has been invented to create a new concept of this product typology: endless life, rechargeable rock salt, high energy efficiency, no harmful substances, interlocking connections, ethical and traceable production cycle.

UTOPIA POSNANIA is a concept development of a complex of service buildings in Łacina district, Poznan. However, it rather stands for a complex urban development and a self-sufficient campus with diverse activities. UTOPIA is organized on a 7.5ha big plot. Nothing more. Comfortable indoor and outdoor spaces are able to integrate society and interact with users while responding to economic changes. The utopic vision based on urban security, joy and future-proof qualities writes resilient scenario.

The Climax Change! book represents the much-needed overview of how climate change and the current environmental emergency will affect the practice of architecture, both in terms of direct impacts on its design philosophy and of the opportunities to innovate and radically transform the course of the discipline's aesthetic, ethical and professional drives as they stand today. 

In this project, we developed new window solutions that utilized innovative vacuum glazing products. Thereby, new operation modi were implemented. The rule of the thumb for developement was to develope/construct the window wing based on the necessities of the vacuum glass, while the frame was constructed based on the necessity of the window fittings. In the end, four different, highly-innovative window constructions have been developed.

Bacterial cellulose is a sheet material grown on the surface of a brew, by yeast and bacteria. This material has leather-like characteristics, but has limitations. The aim was overcoming several of these such as; homogeneity in colour, and thickness and enhancing aesthetics and appeal, thus improving the workability of the material. 5 composite materials were developed and applied in the context of fashion to prove the feasibility of bacterial cellulose food waste composites as bio textiles. 

PTM_Pass the Mic! is a project that aims to inaugurate a hybrid format between higher education and artistic experimentation and has its roots in the thought of libertarian education and in the most innovative European practices straddling the world of performing arts and theoretical research. 

We are MATERFAD, the Barcelona Materials Centre, created and driven since 2008 by the FAD, Fostering Arts and Design (Barcelona, Spain, 1903). Among other services, at MATERFAD we provide institutions, professionals and students with exhaustive knowledge of both technologies and materials of the latest trends, allowing us to generate inspiring content, curating and producing exhibitions in the field of advanced materials or offering bespoke training packages, including at university level.