St-Gobain Announces Winners of Int'nal Student Design Contest

Over 2,200 students from 199 universities worldwide competed in this year’s 15th annual Multi Comfort Student Contest, organised by Saint-Gobain.

The final was narrowed down to 60 competing teams from 34 countries, all of whom traveled to Milan to present their designs to an international panel of experts from the Municipality of Milan.

This year’s brief was to design a project to rehabilitate and reconnect the urban area around Crescenzago subway station in Milan in line with the city’s #milano2030 development plan.

The competition also focuses on Saint-Gobain’s concept of Multi Comfort: thermal, visual, and acoustic comfort, as well as good indoor air quality.

The project included renovation of three existing buildings as well as development of a new complex including housing, public spaces, and infrastructure.

Participants’ submissions were judged on their innovation, environmental qualities and compliance with the Multi Comfort criteria, and their ability to integrate with the climate and environment.

The City of Milan is aiming for a more sustainable, inclusive, and beautiful city for 2030 and addresses urban regeneration by focusing on public spaces throughout the city.

This year’s jury was comprised of Leif Andersson, Corrado Bina, Leopoldo Freyrie, Roland Matzig, Gabriele Rabaiotti, Marco Sammicheli, and Slawomir Szpunar.

The local jury consists of Dr. Hossam Al-Baramili (Chairman), head of Department of Architecture Ain Shams University, dr. Ahmed Sharif (Member) Head of Department of Architecture at the American University, Dr. Ahmed Ouf (Member) Head of Architecture Department, Cairo University, Dr. Mohamed Magdy (Member) Head of Architecture Department, Alexandria University.

Also, Dr. Lamis Aljizawi (Member) Head of Architecture Department Mansoura University, Dr. Sherif Al-Faqi (Member) Head of Architecture Department- Arab Academy for Science and Technology and Dr. Ayman Osman, head of architecture at the British University.

Dr. Hossam Al-Baramili said to "SEE" that he was in Milan as an international arbitrator with senior international architects at the European level for student projects in the international stage. He added that He added that the name of Egypt has been repeated frequently in the lectures and arbitration, where the participants knew much about the State of Egypt.

According to the competition, the first Prize: “Co.Living” was presented to Anna Toborek and Joanna Machera; Silesian University of Technology, Poland.

Toborek and Machera’s First Prize project aimed to create innovative, sustainable housing, including a co-living concept, on one part of the site.

On the remaining site, the team worked to revitalize and increase the standard of living in the existing space. Maintaining adherence to the Multi Comfort standards, the project gives new life to the existing area and introduces ample greenery to the site, elevating the standard of living for inhabitants.

The project involved an in-depth study and analysis of Milan and the existing site to establish goals for integrating the design within its context before proposing a multi-layered co-living development.

"Co.Living" includes copious amenities for residents, including public green areas, a vegetable garden, playground, and relaxation spaces. Judges noted, “The towers could become a landmark in the quarter, creating a new, recognizable identity for Crescenzago area and increasing the quality of everyday life.”

Second Prize: “Social Canopy” was given to Emmanuella Ohene Mantey, Mohamed Fakhri, and Patrick Kore; Abidjan School of Architecture, Ivory Coast.

The "Social Canopy" design team envisioned a spatio-temporal and cultural planted bridge to connect the past, the renovated building, to the future of Milan 2030.

The project proposes living space with different levels of privacy and public access. The "Social Canopy" connects the three given plots with a series of intertwined plaza spaces, spreading resources and amenities throughout.

Green space and plantings are prominent features both within and between building elements.

Jury comments noted the Second Prize design’s interconnected nature: “The project is really connected with the rest of the neighborhood to create a social place and to provide a comfortable and affordable space to live for the people of Crescenzago.”

Third Prize: “Induction” was handed to Bakhrom Khakimov; Brest State Technical University, Belarus.

Taking Third Prize, Khakimov’s design investigates the limitless potential of people to imagine the world in which they’d like to live. By creating, regenerating, and developing human potential, "Induction" relies on the connections between elements and their domino-like influence on one another.

The project utilizes the Multi Comfort guidelines to create a comfortable space for residents and initiate change within the city of Milan.

Employing a module system of XLAM and CLT panels, the design allows for factory production of the units and quick assembly of all homes once on-site, as well as providing high-quality acoustic performance and durability.

Judges said of the project, “it runs the complexity of the task in an effective way, the ‘low cost, prefab approach’ creates an accessible, democratic neighborhood.”

Special Mention: “Urban Villa” was delivered to Timofey Kuzmenko, Artem Diyanov, and Anna Budyuk; Tomsk State University of Architecture and Building, Russia.