Architecture Competition Portugal Olive Guest House 1st prize winners – Martina Costa, Giorgia Ferretti, Emiliano Barbani and Ruggiero Scommegna

We’d like to take the opportunity to introduce you to the 1st prize winners of our "Portugal Olive Guest House" competition – Martina Costa, Giorgia Ferretti, Emiliano Barbani and Ruggiero Scommegna from Italy!

1st prize winners from Italy

We are a group of young professional architects graduated from the Alma Mater Studiorum of Bologna. The work experience gained in Italy and abroad has led us to the development of a multidisciplinary architectural research focused on the theme of social and economic sustainability. As a group we have faced various international architecture competitions, mainly dealing with small-medium scale projects.

Brief information about the projects that you/your company have been involved with. For instance, what scale have you focused on/preferred, any significant projects where the company/ individual shave been involved?

We come from different architectural studios that deal with issues that are even distant from each other, from interior design to large urban plans. As a group we have faced various international architecture competitions, measuring ourselves with small-medium scale projects.

What does architecture mean to you and what is the role of an architect in your society?

Architecture for usisaboveall an opportunity. An opportunity to be able to redesign people'suses and habits, trying to create new solutions and new systems that lead to an improvement in the community. The role of an architect in society is multifaceted and significant. Architects possess a deep understanding of design principles, construction techniques, and building codes. They work closely with customers, engineers, contractors and other stakeholders to translate ideas and requirements into tangible forms. These tangible forms also translate into small changes that redesign people's lifestyles, so the architect in our society has the role of guiding this process through concrete and responsible choices.

Why do you participate in architecture competitions?

For us, participating in architecturecompetitionsmeanshaving the opportunity to find new alternative and sustainablesolutions for each project weundertake. Multidisciplinarity and innovation are the constant approaches in our research, in order to define new solutions for a less environmental impact of architecture.

What advice would you give to individuals who struggle to decide whether it would be beneficial for them to participate in architecture competitions?

Not to get discouraged and to take these opportunities with the utmost commitment. Participating in architecture competitions means investing in your knowledge and increasing your awareness as architects, regardless of the final result.