1 August 2011

Sustainable Projects Honored by Chicago Athenaeum

New York, NY (July 2011) — Alessi is pleased to announce that the “Seed safe” designed by Martí Guixé, and the “Blow up - Bamboo collection” designed by the Campana Brothers have earned the prestigious 2010 GREEN GOOD DESIGN® Award from the Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design, one of the largest and oldest awards for contemporary sign in the world.

The annual program, which was founded in 1950 and initially led by Eero Saarinen and Charles and Ray Eames, honors the sustainable innovation product designs, architecture, landscape architecture, and urban planning, with the intent to instill a call of action among American and European institutions to “Design a Better World Now.” The Alessi products will be featured with other award recipients on the Chicago Athenaeum website.

“Alessi is honored to be the recipient of two GREEN GOOD DESIGN awards. Our designs are all ed with longevity in mind; however, it is exciting to be recognized for these environmentally sound and sustainable products. As always, we would like to thank the designers for such innovative projects and the Chicago Athenaeum for recognizing Alessi’s creativity and commitment to responsible design,” said Paolo Cravedi, Managing Director of Alessi US.

Both of the winning projects combine Alessi’s distinctive aesthetic and perspective with a sustainable design approach. The porcelain “Seed safe,” by Catalan designer Martí Guixé, was designed with the hope that future generations would collect and re-plant seeds rather than discard them, thus starting an ongoing dialog about environmental responsibility.

The “Blow up - Bamboo collection”, designed by the Campana Brothers, is an interpretation of the highly recognized “Blow up” collection by the same designers in stainless steel. Introduced to celebrate over 5 years of collaboration between the Campanas and Alessi, these iconic pieces were reinterpreted using hand-finished natural materials, emphasizing manual skills and environmental consciousness.

For more information on the GREEN GOOD DESIGN Awards please visit www.chi-athenaeum.org/gdesign.