We are delighted to announce the winner of our Rocco Forte Hotels Architecture Prize for 2019, selected by Rocco Forte Hotels’ Director of Design and a member of the Summer Exhibition Judges’ Panel, Olga Polizzi.
This year’s Summer Exhibition theme, chosen by Spencer de Grey RA, is A Sustainable World, with entries exploring the possibilities for an environmentally sustainable agenda in creative design. Our £5,000 prize was dedicated to an ‘outstanding work of architectural design’ within this category, and has been awarded to:
Threefold Architects, FROM FOREST TO FAÇADE, A WOODLANDS SURVEY
Of the work, Olga Polizzi says, “This beautiful, expressive drawing clearly displays a thought process for sustainable building based on research and innovation. From the sketch of the proposed house, to the site survey drawings and calculations of the relationship between forestry, trees and building materials, it demonstrates an inspiring, holistic design approach by an emerging architectural practice.”
A key influencer in sustainable design and architecture, Olga Polizzi designed Verdura Resort together with acclaimed Italian architect Flavio Albanese. Featuring handicrafts by local artisans, including kiln-fired ceramic tiles and mosaics, and authentic Sicilian materials such as natural stone and locally sourced bamboo, their designs were informed by a sound eco-conscious ethos. They included solar panels to provide electricity and power the water recycling facilities, which are key in the relatively dry Sicilian climate. Verdura Resort also implemented a no-car policy to protect the natural landscape and ecosystem. For its superlative design and ecological practices, Verdura Resort was awarded the EHMA Sustainability Award shortly after its completion.
To view the Summer Exhibition 2019 as part of a stay at Brown’s, please call +44 207 493 6020 or email reservations.browns@roccofortehotels.com
Paris is always a good idea. Except, perhaps, when it’s hosting the Olympic Summer Games, and the usual tourist throng looks set to multiply almost prohibitively. Of course, the Games are exciting, but if wading through crowds feels like a marathon effort, try a cultural relay around one of these stunning European cities instead.
As the gentle glow of each ornate chandelier begins to dim, a hush descends upon the audience before an all-consuming world of tragedy and triumph unfolds. Both exhilarating and deeply moving, a night at the opera has the distinct power to evoke emotion, while offering a unique insight into a perhaps unfamiliar city.
Journey through Europe’s symphony of unmissable opera houses, each steeped in history and grandeur.
This summer, Masseria Torre Maizza turns up the volume on a cause that needs our attention. Save the Olives, a non-profit organisation championed by Dame Helen Mirren, whose mission is to raise awareness of Xylella fastidiosa, a bacterium devastating Puglia’s olive trees and impacting the local economy and ecosystem. In support, we have devised an incredible calendar of music and art amidst our Masseria’s olive groves – a poignant setting, grounded in the cause.
