Thousand uses of copper between heritage and innovation

Precious and industrial, ancient and modern, sculptural and empathetic, copper is one of the most versatile materials that can be used in architecture and design. With the competition “Copper and the home”, now in its seventh edition, the European Copper Institute promotes innovative proposals in the domestic field, rewarding under 40 designers or students for their experimental work. “Copper is one of the planet’s most versatile resources. It can also be recycled again and again, without any loss of performance, ensuring that it continues to be one of the most important materials at the heart of both economic development and human existence,” tells the institution promoting the competition.

The more than 250 projects presented at the competition came from all over Europe and some non-European countries such as China, Korea and Chile. The proposals investigated the different qualities and opportunities offered by the material: someone started from its physical properties and thermal conductivity, and designed radiators, lamps or heat sinks; others focused on the aesthetic qualities of copper, offering refined tableware and sculptural furnishing accessories; others focused on the ecological aspects of the material, looking at processes that combine functionality and energy saving.
The submissions, which succeed in representing the various facets and possibilities offered by copper, were evaluated by a qualified jury composed of the architect Massimo Curzi, designer Matteo Ragni and architect and design critic Marco Romanelli.