RE-DESIGN

The Embassy of Italy in Washington and the Italian Cultural Institute of Washington, in collaboration with Italian Design Week, celebrate Italian Design Day 2026 with an exploration of sustainable design and creative empathy through the lens of Mario Cucinella Architects.

Featuring the MCA Sustainability Box—a traveling sculpture and interactive "totem of cards"—this event invites audiences to reimagine the relationship between humanity, nature, and technology. Architecture becomes more than construction: it is dialogue, listening, and responsibility. Through bio-inspiration and innovative thinking, the event proposes poetic and tangible responses to today's environmental challenges, renewing our vision for a sustainable future where spaces, objects, ideas, and relations are regenerated with purpose and care.

LOCATION

Embassy of Italy
3000 Whitehaven Street, NW
Washington DC 20008

REGISTRATION AND PHOTO ID REQUIRED

REGISTRATION DISCLAIMER

Registration required and accepted exclusively through Eventbrite. RSVPs are not available via phone or email. Please note that all registered guests must provide their full legal name for accurate event records. Duplicate or incomplete registrations will be rejected.

Please note: Doors close at event start- time. Arriving late to an event can be disruptive to both the audience and the overall experience. When someone enters after the event has started, it can disturb others by blocking their view or causing noise as they settle in. This not only takes away from the enjoyment of the event for others but can also distract from the atmosphere it is trying to create. We kindly encourage everyone to arrive on time, so everyone can enjoy the full experience without interruptions. Your cooperation helps ensure that everyone has a great time from start to finish.

Please

About Mario Cucinella

Mario Cucinella was born in Palermo in 1960 and graduated in Architecture at the University of Genoa in 1986.

In 1992, in Paris, he founded Mario Cucinella Architects, an architecture firm now based in Bologna and Milan, and of which he is also the creative director. In 2015 he founded SOS - School of Sustainability, a postgraduate program focused on sustainable architecture.

The importance of his work and continued commitment as an architect and educator on environmental and social issues have been recognized with the International Fellowship of the Royal Institute of British Architects (2016) and with the Honorary Fellowship of the American Institute of Architects (2017).

In 2018 he was curator of the Italian Pavilion de La Biennale di Venezia 2018 with the exhibition “Arcipelago Italia”. On 20 June 2024, MCA - Mario Cucinella Architects received the ADI Compasso d'Oro Award for the 'Museo d'Arte Fondazione Luigi Rovati' project.

He is the author of many publications including: “Città foresta umana. L'empatia ci aiuta a progettare” (2024, published by Giulio Einaudi Editore), “The future is a journey to the past. Ten stories about architecture” (2021, published by Quodlibet), “Architecture of Education” (2021, published by Maggioli), “Building Green Futures” (2020, published by Forma).

MCA - Mario Cucinella Architects

Founded by Mario Cucinella in 1992 in Paris, MCA - Mario Cucinella Architects currently has offices in Bologna and Milan and consists of more than 100 professionals. Making use of its own internal R&D Department, which carries out research on sustainability issues, MCA specialises in architectural design that integrates environmental and energy strategies. MCA has completed and is currently undertaking projects across Europe, China, Africa, the Middle East, and South America.

They include Art Museum of Fondazione Luigi Rovati in Milan, winner of Compasso D’oro 2024 Award; a new surgery and emergency healthcare centre for the San Raffaele Hospital in Milan; the Church of Santa Maria Goretti in Mormanno; the new Rector's Office for Roma Tre University in Rome; One Airport Square in Accra, (Ghana); the new headquarters for NICE in Limeira (Brazil); and the Sino-Italian Ecological and Energy Efficient Building, in Beijing (China); the masterplan of the MIND - Milano Innovation District, the SeiMilano mixed-use project, and the Unipol Group Headquarters; the Valle D’Aosta University Campus in Aosta; the e-building of Ferrari in Maranello; The Italian Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka, awarded by the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) for the Best Interpretation of the Theme; the two mixed-use "Viertel Zwei" towers in Vienna; and the MET Tirana Building in Tirana.

MCA collaborates with the SOS - School of Sustainability Foundation, a school based on an open, holistic, and research-driven approach that gives young design professionals and recent graduates the necessary tools for addressing environmental issues. The school was founded in 2015 by Mario Cucinella and is based in Milan.

https://www.mcarchitects.it/

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Host or Publisher Italian Cultural Institute in Washington