At "I SALONI 2013" on April 12, 2013 there was the award ceremony for the winners of the young American architects. A joint committee composed of the MISE, FederlegnoArredo and IIDA (International Interior Design Association), presented the award to the winners, selected in recent months by an American jury composed by John Czarnecki Association (AIA - Contract magazine), Lewis Goetz (IIDA, FAIA - Leo A Daly) and Brian K. Graham (IIDA, IDSA - Graham Design Studio).
Topic on which were compared 30 young architects participants of the initiative was the creation of new products designed specifically for the Italian companies of the sectors lighting, office, kitchen, bathroom, living room, bedroom and interior finishes.
In 2012, the United States has been one of the main markets for Italian exports of wood-furniture, marking a significant increase in turnover which has so exceeded 700 million Euros.
For two years FederlegnoArredo has activated an important collaboration with leading architecture studios USA that is enabling Italian companies in the sector to activate new business in North America and in the many countries where work these studies.
In order to strengthen the presence of the wood furniture companies in this market, in the "Year of Italian culture" in the United States, the Ministry of Economic Development (MISE) initiated a project for the promotion of the wood furniture that - with the collaboration of FederlegnoArredo - includes the involvement of architectural Americans organizing a contest called "Emerge Italy", aimed at young designers employees of these studies that follow international projects, particularly in the areas of the Persian Gulf, Russia, China, India, Singapore, South Africa and Mexico.
"The collaboration with the Ministry - says Roberto Snaidero, President of FederlegnoArredo - is a very important piece of the path that the federation has started two years ago and aims to encourage the growth of exports of our products in a market that is increasingly attracted by the Italian style, especially among the younger generations. "
The event of the Saloni represented the first in a series of stages that characterize the competition in 2013. In the coming months, in fact, studying architecture and / or associations that have seen their award winning architects, with a formula of stage host a group of young Italian designers (under 35), with the ultimate goal to make more fluid relationships reciprocity between American structures and Italian reality.
"With this project - said Pietro Celi, Director of the Office for European Affairs of Internationalisation and Trade Promotion of the MISE, we aim to build lasting and profitable alliances between decision makers of the design in the United States and Italian companies wood furniture, so that the product made in Italy can have easier access to both the U.S. market and on third markets the most promising. "
In May, the Ministry, with FederlegnoArredo and in collaboration with ICE, will participate with a stand at the ICFF Fair in New York, to promote the results of the competition and present the objects made.
In June it will be the Neocon Fair in Chicago, which will be organized a series of events targeted for Italian companies.
The next Italian stage of the project will be held in October 2013 at MADE expo, the international trade fair for architecture and building construction, which will see the joint participation of Italian and American partners.
peter g. evans
