Like the wonders of the ancient world, great industrial archaeologies carry a fascination of abandonment, of that mammoth and sublime melancholy that makes them magical in their own ruin and decay.
The old industrial buildings are titans of concrete and steel that rise in the landscape devoured by vegetation and time, as if they were carcasses of immense ancient monsters that inhabited the world at different times, spawned by a different civilization.
Of all the industrial archaeologies, some of the most suggestive are surely the offshore oil platforms. They are the heirs to a development race that imposed man’s right on nature, like ancient titans.
Today, these platforms live out their exile abandoned to the rust and oblivion of the sea. The issue of decommissioning such machinery entails legislative vacuums. This is because internationally there is no unified and compelling vision about the future of these facilities.
Yet, while on the surface legislators are deciding which is the best action to take, something surprising has happened in the deep sea, unforeseen by the engineers who developed such machines.
The platforms have become a treasure chest of biodiversity, almost as if they were artificial coral reefs, which have turned into a refuge for countless marine species once the man left.
One of the symbols of environmental violence is now the bastion of environmental protection.
Then, is it right to plead the very expensive cause of its removal? Or can such platforms rather find new meaning in the age of decarbonization and environmental sustainability?
These are the questions of Iron Island, the competition by Manni, CNR-IRBIM, and YAC to write the future of ancient oil platforms.
Off the Italian coast, specifically in the northern Adriatic Sea, there are numerous offshore platforms.
Since they had been installed on a small sea, they are well suited to becoming the first model of virtuous transformation and redevelopment of these steel and concrete islands.
YAC thanks all the architects who will take up this challenge.
Jury
Each jury is nominated with utmost care and is composed by professionals of the highest repute whose activity is consistent with the theme of the competition.
- Enrico Frizzera
MANNI GROUP - Carlo Ratti
CARLO RATTI ARCHITECTS - Neil Hubbard
HEATHERWICK STUDIO - Melodie Leung
ZAHA HADID ARCHITECTS - Giulio Rigoni
BIG – BJARKE INGELS GROUP - Bernard Plancade
ROCKWOOL - Arturo Tedeschi
ARTURO TEDESCHI - Gian Marco Luna
CNR
Prizes
All awarded projects will be sent to websites, magazines and architectural platforms. Furthermore, they can be displayed in national and international architectural events.
Timeline
Complying with deadlines is a fundamental requirement to take part in the competition. All architects are encouraged to pay the utmost attention to the timeline and to complete each phase in advance.
* +22% VAT. Fulfilling an “Early bird”, “Standard” or “Late” registration does not affect submission deadline.
Early Bird Registration € 65 / team*
Standard Registration € 85 / team*
Late Registration € 115 / team*
Material Submission Deadline
Jury Summoning
