Marina di Loano, one of the ten most beautiful marinas in the world according to the international publication “Yachting Pages”, promoted Leisure Harbour, an international call for ideas organised in partnership with the BT Group, a company specialised in integrated outdoor furnishing solutions, and with the support of YAC - Young Architects Competitions,, a company that promotes calls for ideas and architecture from young designers, graduates and students.
The competition, which offers awards amounting to a sum of 20,000 euros overall, began on 30 November and will end on 16 February 2021. The jury, composed of a panel of international experts, will meet on 1 March. 1 April will see the publication of the results and the announcement of the winners.
Marina di Loano, which was officially inaugurated in 2021, covers an overall area of 350,000 square metres, offering 900 berths and an important shipyard. Marina di Loano is an important example of marine architecture that, together with its boating activities, has grown into a significant hub of entertainment and services including a yacht club, accommodation, conference halls, restaurants, shops, a beach with facilities and a shipyard. It is an avant-garde structure that has always characterised its development with attention to environmental sustainability and the promotion of marine culture.
In a rapidly changing world, the future is already here. Leisure Harbour has been launched and developed in this light, with the aim of accelerating the integration of the port into the social and urban fabric of the municipality of Loano, transforming Marina di Loano into the epicentre of life in the Liguria seafront city, a privileged location characterised by exchange, culture, sharing and meeting.
Gianluca Mazza, the CEO of Marina di Loano spa and member of the jury, had this to say about the initiative: “Over recent years, our Marina has earned numerous forms of recognition. As well as certification in terms of environmental sustainability, from the Blue Flag from FEE and certification for the safety and quality of tourist and accommodation services, Marina di Loano has been named as one of the ten most beautiful marinas in the world. This is a very respectable curriculum, but rather than a goal, this is a starting point. Marina di Loano needs to continue to strive for growth, achieving competitive adantage and ever-higher levels of excellence. The “Leisure Harbour” competition is a precise representation of this goal. The particular points of view of its participants will allow us to identify those areas in which Marina di Loano will be able to change and to improve, offering our guests both new services and an even more absorbing and unique experience”.
Aldo Caballini, the director of Area 3 of the municipality of Loano and a member of the Jury, stressed that “YAC - Young Architects Competition is an internationally important association that works towards the development of ideas in the field of architecture. Leisure Harbour is a project aimed above all at young people from all over the world. Contributing to this “think tank” as a jury member fills me with pride and has enriched me professionally, giving me the opportunity to see and compare the chosen ideas. I feel it is very significant that the port of Loano has been chosen as a “workshop” for such a topical, modern and proactive expression of creativity, imagination, ideas and development. Including Marina di Loano among the infrastructures involved in reflections and considerations of this level is a source of pride for the municipality and the entire community of Loano”.
Luigi Pignocca, the mayor of Loano, involved in his institutional role and as a member of the jury, is eager to see the results of the competition: “Marina di Loano has brought profound changes to our city. Its services, its structures and its size (which allows the berthing of boats of up to 77 metres in length, rare in Italian and international marinas) as well as the avant-garde technology adopted ever since it was first opened, makes it one of the most important marinas in the Mediterranean and in the world. The presence of a marina with these characteristics in our community has had significant consequences on the tourist image and the economy throughout Loano and in the entire area of Savona. The challenge put forward by this call for ideas to rethink and improve an organisation that is already of the utmost quality is extremely difficult but at the same time highly fascinating. In the name of the Municipal Administration, our very best wishes for all the participants. We are eager to see your ideas”.
The jury also includes:
Manuel Aires Mateus, 57, Portuguese, a professor at a number of institutions including the Harvard University School of Design, the Department of Architecture in Ljubljana and the Academy of Architecture in Mendrisio.
Huang Wenjing, an architect listed among the “50 under 50s: Innovators of the 21st century” and founder in 2003 of the Open Architecture firm in New York, she is involved in urban planning and architectural, interior and furniture design.
Paolo Matteuzzi, a Rome-born architect, Senior Associate Architect for the Zaha Hadid Architects firm, entered the company in 2002 with the project for the MAXXI, the National Museum of 21st century art in Rome.
Patrick Lüth, director of the Austrian branch of Snohetta, one of the most successful architecture and design firms in Europe, took part in the construction of the celebrated National September 11 Memorial & Museum at Ground Zero, New York.
Aristide Radaelli, owner and CEO of BT Group, the head of a pool of companies with a global turnover of 48 million euros and 350 employees. The group places ecological sustainability as the cornerstone of its industrial activity and manufactures products that are 100% made in Italy.
Giovanni Palazzi, engineer and managing director of Stage Up, was “Stadium and Media Manager for the Bologna office” for the local organisation committee for the 1990 World Cup. A manager and businessman in the sports, entertainment, communications and technology markets, he works for the most important private and public, national and international players.
www.marinadiloano.it
https://www.youngarchitectscompetitions.com/
www.comuneloano.it