The Home of the Human Safety Net wins the 2022 Red Dot Design Award. The Procuratie Vecchie based project, led by Migliore+Servetto, was awarded for best interior design

• The prize, awarded today in Essen (Germany) is among the most prestigious awards in the international design industry
• Migliore+Servetto designed the interiors and the multimedia instillations inside the “A World of Potential” exhibition

Venice, October 28th – The “Home of The Human Safety Net” has won the 2022 Red Dot Design award for Best Interior Design. The award, which is within the Brands & Communication category, was given to the project designed by Studio Migliore+Servetto, based in the third floor of Venice’s Procuratie Vecchie, overlooking St Mark’s Square.

The “Home of the Human Safety Net” project, which has now received one of the most prestigious international cultural awards, is the base for Generali Group’s foundation, and was born to be a place to promote inclusion, innovation and sustainability.

The Red Dot Award jury considered the spaces within the building to be 2022’s best example of both innovative and experimental approaches within its Interior Design nominees, recognising its aim to generate sustainable and inclusive spaces, created “to share”, while understanding the behaviour, expectations and wishes of visitors. This award follows Migliore+Servetto’s success in the Urban Installations category, for their project “Waterfront Door/Into the Ocean,” in Busan, South Korea. The “Home of the Human Safety Net” project included the interior, the exhibition space, multimedia and graphic design.

The reopening of the Procuratie Vecchie was an historical moment for both the local and international community, restoring not only the iconic building, but also returned it to its original purpose as a place to support society’s most vulnerable – a mission once carried out by the Procurators of the Republic of Venice in St. Mark's Square. The treasured building was chosen by Generali Group to become the new home for The Human Safety Net Foundation and is already open as an inclusive space to exchange ideas and talk about how to further social inclusion.

Ico Migliore, co-founder of the Migliore+Servetto Architects Studio, said, "The project was an exciting collaborative work that led to the definition and creation of a new concept of hospitality and inclusiveness, themes that are central to the vision of Generali's The Human Safety Net Foundation, and shared by our studio. The entire project moves lightly within the architectural shell to relate not only to the historic complex of the Procuratie Vecchie but, consequently, also to Venice, a city with a strong identity but also an example of virtuous cultural contamination over the centuries. And it is on this principle of openness and exchange that the layout of the interior spaces is articulated, conceived as a succession of different experiences through which the visitor discovers his or her human potential. In a dialogue between past, present and future, the spaces relate to the artistic and cultural richness of the city, and today make this place a unique example as a global hub for initiatives aimed at social innovation.”

Simone Bemporad, Vice-Chair of The Human Safety Net Foundation, stated: “The home of the Human Safety Net Foundation, together with the itinerary of its exhibition spaces, were designed to welcome and include whilst offering a meaningful experience for the visitor, consistent with the history of the building. The project, curated by Migliore+Servetto’s studio, has understood and enhanced, in an innovative way, the mission of the foundation, which is to be a movement of people, helping people.”

The factors for winning this prize can be found in the main design aspects of the project, creating an interior design scheme for the headquarters of The Human Safety Net Foundation which sought to create a light space within the historical Procuratie Vecchie, in which it is housed. It also needed to recognise the deep bond the building has with the City of Venice, its powerful cultural symbolism while being identified as a place which is open to other cultures. There are three recurring symbols which are consistent throughout the project: the table, the nest and the mirror. The table, a synonym for encounters and exchange, is present in the interactive installations and meeting spaces. The nest is a symbol of hospitality and bonds, which is evoked in the structures in the library and works as a fil-rouge to draw together the meeting and working spaces. And finally, the mirror, which draws upon centuries of Venetian tradition, is seen in the furnishing of the Café, as well as a number of installations, is a symbolic representation of self-reflection, thought and conscience.

THE PROCURATIE VECCHIE

For the first time in over 500 years, the Procuratie Vecchie in St Mark’s Square opened its doors to the public in the Spring of 2022, following a restoration project carried out by the Milan studio of David Chipperfield Architects. The third floor of the iconic building is the home of Generali Group’s The Human Safety Net Foundation (THSN). The interior, the exhibition space, multimedia and graphic design were created by Migliore+Servetto’s studio, under the artistic direction of Davide Rampello. The 3000 square meters space, in the top floor of the Procuratie Vecchie, features the “A World of Potential” exhibition, curated by Orna Cohen and Andreas Heineckle of Dialogue Social Enterprise (DSE), which is focused on individual awareness and the development of human potential – starting from the values of creativity, perseverance, gratitude, curiosity, hope, social intelligence, teamwork, and appreciation for beauty. These characteristics were translated by Migliore+Servetto into 16 multimedia and interactive instillation, capable of engaging very diverse audiences to generate reflection on inclusion, innovation and sustainability.

In addition to the exhibition, the project led by Migliore+Servetto involved the entire top floor and reception areas on the ground floor of the building. The project has also created spaces for interaction, sharing and discussion: a Café which is open to the public visiting the exhibition, an open access library with books from five different languages, a co-working space which is reserved for the activities of the Foundation and its partners, as well as event spaces and an auditorium.

Pictures by: Andrea Martiradonna