Chiesi Group, a pharmaceutical company that focuses on research-based innovation, has prioritized the health of patients across all age groups for over 85 years. Seeking the development of the next healthcare landmark for innovation, they launched Restore to Impact, an international call for entries to redesign the historic industrial site in Via Palermo, Parma.
Open to two categories –Professionals and Under 30s– the competition aims to find innovative, evolutionary and transversal proposals that will be the basis for the guidelines of the future architectural building project. The winning proposals for the three eligible concepts for the professional category will receive € 12,000 each, while the Under 30 category will receive € 5,000 each.
The competition: Restore to Impact
After inaugurating the Parma Headquarters located near the Research Center, Chiesi launched this last March 1st, 2023, a second architectural development project for the regeneration of its industrial site.
With a twofold objective, the contest aims for the creation of an innovative business playground. Turning the Via Palermo site into a driver for urban regeneration and an innovation landmark, it seeks to reveal the interconnection between society’s health and the health of the planet, while developing new skills in the art of healing.
For Andrea Chiesi, Head of Special Projects and Sponsor of the Call for Ideas, the current changes occurring in all disciplines require both the interconnection of specialized professionals –who have evolving skills– and workplaces that are aligned with today’s notions of cooperation, inclusion, wellbeing and research supported by state-of-the-art technologies.
In addition, he highlights how people are always the center of innovative spaces. Therefore, the idea of launching the competition took shape out of the desire of placing people –and their ideas– at the center of the regeneration project. It intends to create new ways of approaching an urban project for a corporate headquarters that is also open to the community. For Chiesi, beyond a simple building renovation, this competition opens up possibilities for new building and site development approaches.
Who can participate?
Open to innovations and new approaches to building, participants should incorporate a balanced and collaborative understanding of research concepts, with expertise in the following disciplines: healthcare, sustainability, spatial design, workplace, new technologies, Big Data, service design, landscape and humanities. Within the two categories of participation, the contest is looking for professionals –such as architects, designers, engineers and researchers– and under 30’s (both graduates and those in education).
Five regenerative actions as a force for good
To achieve the expected results, the group has developed five regenerative actions as force for good. All of these actions were conceived to enhance ideas, solutions and strategies for proposing the architectural future of the Via Palermo site in relation to the buildings, outdoor and interior spaces.
Combining the principles of kindness and connectivity with science and humanities, the strategy aims to: innovate to stay coherent, restore to preserve the heritage, take care to treat, dare for opportunities, and design to impact.
The competition details
All entries must be submitted by 15:59 CEST on 30/04/2023 through the Restore to Impact website. After the submission, a multidisciplinary Selection Committee –composed of personalities from scientific and humanities research fields– will analyze and select the most original ideas. Their decision will be guided by the adherence to one or all of the “Five Regenerative Actions as a Force for Good.” Notification to the winners will be made public on the last week of May.
The winners will participate in both the elaboration and development phases of the future regeneration of the Via Palermo site, maintaining their names in the concept development team as developers of the design guidelines.
In addition to the winners of the three eligible concepts for the professional category, the committee will select up to five Honourable Mentions for each category: Professionals will receive € 2,000 per single mention and Under-30s will receive € 1,000 per single mention.
For more information on how to participate, visit Restore to Impact’s official website or send an email to info@restoretoimpact.com.
