Architecture competition Tokyo Pop Lab 1st prize winners - Attilio De Palma, Andrea Longo, Enrico Nicli

We’d like to take this opportunity to introduce the 1st prize winners of our Tokyo Pop Lab competition - Attilio De Palma, Andrea Longo, Enrico Nicli from Italy!

Tokyo Pop Lab 1st prize winners: Attilio De Palma, Andrea Longo and Enrico Nicli

Our team is composed of two young architects Andrea Longo and Enrico Nicli, who have just graduated and a student, Attilio De Palma who is going to complete his studies this year. We all studied in the faculty of Architecture of the Polytechnic of Turin (Italy), then specialised in different areas of design. The working group is called “Equoatelier” and operates in various fields and scales of design, from interior design right up to the larger scale of urban transformation.

There are several themes that have been undertaken within our working group. We have always tried not to linger on a specific theme, but rather investigate different processes and design methodologies. Among the most significant is the collaboration with important art institutions in the development works and projects regarding the close link between art and architecture; with the development of projects directly related to paintings and art installations, organising workshops and events.

Another theme on which we spent a long time was regarding urban renewal through participatory planning. We worked with municipalities and local entities to plan and support the development of the region through regeneration policies.

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

Architecture for us can not be only the realization of structures and buildings, the architect's role in our society is fraught with many more responsibilities. The architect must be able to communicate with people, to understand their concerns and recognize their dreams. He must be a promoter of a change that recognizes his place in the human in society. A project will never be complete if the people can not use it totally. In the future we should always be able to educate society to recognize the value of an area rather than the potential of a transformation, involving people in decisions and through their support, develop participate projects belonging to the people.

Why do you participate in architecture vision competitions? 

In all fields of life, the exchange of points of view and the ability to deal with others makes it possible to learn through sharing. When designing we always try to achieve a shared result through dialogue and discussion, bringing into the project the different skills that each player can bring to the discussion. Likewise, participating in design competitions allows us to compare our project and our solutions with many others, from which you can always learn. Understanding how one problem can be solved in multiple ways, rather than how a thought can be transformed in various forms, this is the main value which is the basis of design contests. In architectural competitions we participate to share and learn.

Participating in architecture competition is one of the best moments of the architectural profession. The competition is an opportunity to remain not too tied to the bureaucracy of reality, but a time to thoroughly analyse the thought that leads a project. Get to the essence of the design, where the main work begins to shape space through an idea, transmit sensations and possible future. We could never imagine the architectural profession without participating in competitions.