The 3,000-sq.-ft. Italian pavilion at the 2012 Coverings show will be transformed into a topography-inspired piazza, as envisioned by e+i studio, a NYC-based architecture and design firm that was selected as the winner of the Ceramics of Italy exhibit design challenge.
Sponsored by Confindustria Ceramica, the Association of Italian Ceramics, and hosted by Architizer, the Ceramics of Italy exhibit design challenge called on architects from around the world to submit their designs for a pavilion to be built at Coverings this spring. Entrants were asked to incorporate a restaurant and café, space for an information desk and re-usable components to reflect the Italian tile industry’s commitment to sustainability. More than 80 architecture firms signed on for the challenge.
Eva Perez de Vega and Ian Gordon, founders of the architecture and design practice e+i studio, were chosen as the overall winners of the competition for their Piazza Ceramica design. Based on the idea of an Italian piazza, their proposed design features a large open gathering space with gradual steps reminiscent of a piazza church. According to e+i studio, the topographic mounds can be recreated into many different piazza-like configurations. They will be awarded a $10,000 design fee and a $15,000 project management fee to oversee fabrication and installation of the pavilion.
Tony Leung, an architect based in Hong Kong, was also recognized as a runner-up and will be awarded $1,500 for his undulating exhibit landscape, “Ceramics Carpet.”
Coverings will take place from April 17-20, 2012 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fl.
