From green mobility to recycled materials, the design awarded at the XXVII edition of the Compasso d'Oro ADI is innovative and sustainable

What do an electric forklift, a 3D printed valve to fit a snorkel mask, a die-cast aluminum chair and a mortar that combines lime and rice waste have in common?

They are all objects created to give concrete answers to the contemporary challenges that are accustoming us to the scarcity of resources and the global climate and economic crisis. These, along with 16 others, are the projects awarded yesterday at the XXVII edition of the Compasso d’Oro ADI, the award, which from 1954 to today, tells of the supremacy of the most innovative Italian industry.

The jury, chaired by Annachiara Sacchi and composed of Mario Cucinella, Stefano Micelli, Cloe Piccoli and Mirko Zardini, underlined the transversality of the approaches with which design is expressed in the winning projects , recognizing 'their work, ingenuity, entrepreneurship and quality'.

Many will remember the valve Charlotte, a project that saw the light in March 2020 in Brescia, then the Italian epicenter of the Covid pandemic -19.

With a lot of ingenuity and with the typical 'tailoring ability' that distinguishes Italian entrepreneurship, Cristian Fracassi, founder of the startup Isinnova, and his team in a few days designed a valve to be 3D printed and applied to a snorkeling mask commercially available in large quantities and distributed by a multinational French.

With what is now known as Easy-Covid19 and was awarded yesterday with the Compasso d'Oro ADI, Italy has responded to the lack of sanitary devices in the area for intensive care in the Covid-19 emergency.

A dutiful homage to the chair, which, as Luciano Galimberti recalls, is 'the most complex machine that all great designers have to deal with', went to Plato, a minimal seat designed by Jasper Morrison for Magis and made of die-cast aluminum, a completely recyclable material at the end of its life.

Moreover, the new materials, sustainable and innovative, were a clear focus of the selection of the jurors for this edition of the Prize, which enhanced not only the final object, but also the process that leads to make it happen.

This is undoubtedly the case of RH120 by Ricehouse, a multi-component plaster with a natural finish that uses rice paste and is the result of extensive research in the field of components. for construction and the Klipper sound-absorbing system, designed by Felicia Arvid for Caimi Brevetti, which uses recyclable polyurethane at 100%.

Scouting on mobility was also central: here stands out the electric forklift E-Worker, produced by Merlo, which has the merit of bringing the sustainability in the industrial sector.

They stand out for their ingenuity ØG ™ Zero Gravity, the window frame proposed by Secco Sistemi which solves the problem of sliding large doors with magnetic levitation, without having to resort to the aid of an electric motor and Order, a project by Adriano Design for Fabita, which interprets the hob theme in a flexible life to a series of independent and transportable elements.

The three key concepts - development, sustainable and responsible - which guided the jury in the selection were the same ones used to award the 25 honorable mentions.

'Responsible' is the Sula carafe designed by Giulio Iacchetti which encourages the use of tap water at the table, a practice that, if widespread, would limit the abuse of bottles of plastic.

'Sustainable' is Giotto the device for charging electric vehicles produced by Repower and designed by Makio Hasuike &Co, which brings attention to the ecological transition of mobility.

The 20 winning projects are joined by 12 Compassi d'Oro for Lifetime Achievement: 9 national - the philosopher Giovanni Anceschi, the designers Francesco Binfaré, Giulio Cappellini, Antonio Citterio and Michele De Lucchi, gallery owner Rossana Orlandi and entrepreneurs Brunello Cucinelli and Giancarlo Zanatta - and 3 international - curator Lidewij Edelkoort and designers Hans A. Muth and Peter Opsvik.

Three long seller objects awarded: the Minikitchen designed by Joe Colombo for Boffi in 1968, the Up series by Gaetano Pesce for B&B Italia and the Ghost armchair by Cini Boeri and Tomu Katayanagi for Fiam Italia (1987), and, to complete the picture, 3 prizes and 9 certificates for the Targa Giovani.