aoM Partnership, the local firm of consultants entrusted with all the design aspects for the project, have seen their proposal for the site, currently under construction, featured in the news section of the Milan publication L’Arca in April of this year. In a full-page article entitled Tradizione Mediterranea, the report commented that the project is not only...“a confrontation of classic urban ingredients with its site and stories, but a search for answers about density, traffic and technologies in a very specific local situation.”

The brief for the site which, together with Manoel Island, covers an area of approximately 44 hectares, envisages the construction of extensive residential areas including infrastructure for social, leisure and commercial activities, as well as a marina and extensive landscaping. The project also includes major restoration work to the significant historical buildings within the area.

The design proposal was also short-listed in the MIPIM Future Project Awards 2004, organised by the British journal, Architectural Review. A jury of international experts was appointed for the event, which is an international review of emerging projects which culminated with an international meeting in Cannes last March.

In the catalogue for the event, the jury commented on the increase in quality and quantity of entries over the previous years, both in terms of architectural excellence and geographical spread.

The jury had invited entries in six categories and aoM’s project was included in the Urban Communities and Sustainability section. This was intended for projects that are of mixed-use in nature and form part of a proposal intended to in some way revive an urban area in need of regeneration. In scale, proposals could vary from single buildings to whole city quarters, with special attention to issues of sustainability.

aoM Partnership was set up jointly by the partners of AP and TBA Periti in August 2000, specifically for the provision of the full range of design services required for the execution of the project for the development and rehabilitation of Manoel Island and Tignè Point. aoM, together with its sub-consultants, MTS, Carlbro, Frank Franjou and Philip Grech, have a total of approximately 60 professional staff working on the project.