Conference organised by Paolo Castelli S.p.A. with Confindustria and Confcommercio Emilia
with the patronage of Municipality of Bologna | Province of Bologna | Emilia-Romagna Region
The house has always been a central theme, and we have never questioned its future as we do today, strengthened by the continuous and pressing progress of living and construction technologies. From experimentations to concepts, from new creations to materials and to innovative construction technologies that drive flexibility, mobility and customisation to the utmost.
For BDW 2019, a team of architects and designers was invited to define the coordinates of a possible but, especially, ethical and sustainable future, presenting intelligent projects that rethink the idea of living and question it.
Architects, artists and designers have always attempted to imagine future houses, and some visionary pioneers – many of whom are Italian – have found effective solutions. Comparing 20th century projects and prototypes against 21st century innovations, we realise that many fantasies of yesterday have been turned into today’s reality.
Focus on project culture
The world population is growing, and the space at our disposal remains unchanged. If we consider cities, the demographic trend is rising. Living solutions centred on quality, rather than on the amount of space, are an answer to such needs.
The objective of the event is to conceive the future house as an integration of efficient systems studied to ensure comfort, save energy and guarantee environmental sustainability.
In
the 1970s there was a tendency to imagine a portable house, a sort of shell
that was light and portable (e.g. Uovouomosfera by Ugo La Pietra). Decades
before the digital revolution, these architects imagined an elective nomadic
life made feasible by technology, using innovative materials for the time, such
as Perspex® or polycarbonate for furniture and structures.
Intervention by: LEONARDO DI CHIARA – project aVOID, winner of the Berlin Prize 2017 and of the Regula Prize 2018 for the section “Young Talents in Architecture”.
Consistently with this visionary idealism, back in 1982 Ugo La Pietra created the “Telematic House”, a house featuring TV screen integrated into every furniture item, anticipating the ubiquity of screens in contemporary life and the controversy on the lack of privacy.
Intervention by: ALEXANDER BELLMAN – project Frame Emotion | Fuorisalone Interiors 2018
The physical space of our reality is increasingly turned into digital information, expanding and guiding our perception towards virtual dimensions and simultaneous representations offered by electronic devices. Hence, the living space of our house – the theme of the installation – acquires new measures beyond the physical ones, with the pixels of virtual rooms taking shape in our mobile devices very rapidly, following the rationale of artificial intelligence.
The transformation is already in progress. The form and classical structure of living are rapidly changing in terms of language. They will be more technological, self-sufficient and sustainable. But this is not the case with functions, which will remain the same: the ritual of body care, food, sleep, social gatherings and hospitality will never be lost.
The future house must present highly efficient energy features, such as lower water and energy consumption, but must also be capable of responding adequately to human needs and desires.
Intervention by MARCO CASINI – Lecturer of Technological Engineering at the Department of Architecture, Sapienza University, and Coordinator of project ReStart4Smart (finalist at the Solar Decathlon Middle East 2018 in Dubai).
In June 2019 Paolo Castelli S.p.A. Was awarded the FSC® Forest Stewardship council® certification. The decision to become a certified company was unquestionably inspired by the market but it was also the natural continuation of a pathway already followed by the Company, which considers the wood production line as a virtuous circle. The company thus defines its path: the intention to be acknowledged as the author of absolute quality products merges with a rigorous and responsible commitment towards the environment, guaranteeing that the wood used comes from legal wood cutting and certified production lines as evidence of the corporate commitment to achieve the global goal of directing the market towards responsible management of the forestry heritage.
Intervention by DIEGO FLORIAN – DIEGO FLORIAN – Director of FSC® Italia.