MILAN — Robotics that enhance physical well-being by Japanese designer Masami Takahashi and tires made with recycled and bio-based materials by Italy’s Pirelli, were among the unexpected creations that topped the Compasso d’Oro 2025 awards on Friday.
The event took place at the Italy Pavilion of Expo 2025 Osaka; however, the official awards ceremony and exhibition will then be hosted in Milan at its usual location, the ADI Design Museum on Dec. 9. Compasso d’Oro is one of the world’s most prestigious design awards and was founded by legendary maestro Gio Ponti in 1954. It is often referred to as the “Oscars” of the design world.
The 2025 edition of the Compasso d’Oro International Award was held under the patronage of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. Promoting well-being and health and a commitment to sustainability were paramount in evaluating each project, ADI said in a statement.
Martinelli Luce’s Avro lamp, designed for hybrid spaces.
Benvenuto Saba
The roster of lifetime achievement awards this year pinpointed the figures around the world pushing the envelope on the design industry as we know it. Awardees spanned from Italy’s Martinelli Luce designers Studio Natural, for the Avro lamp, designed for hybrid spaces; Caimi Lab for designing a fabric suitable for furnishings and sound-absorbing elements, and China’s Yuue Design Studio, which designed an “empathetic” furniture piece styled with a zoomorphic space, intended to foster a sense of emotional closeness with users.
“The word design lends itself to multiple interpretations.…From this perspective, the central theme of Expo 2025 Osaka is particularly relevant to the idea of design as a discipline that permeates our lives,” said ADI president Luciano Galimberti.
Designer Philippe Starck and textiles maker Bonotto and its owner Giovanni Bonnotto were also awarded at the ceremony that unfurled at the Osaka Expo Italian pavilion. Starck, they said, was honored for reimagining the archetype of the armchair with his HHH Her Highest Highness chair he designed for Kartell, which applied industrial printing of recycled plastic. Bonotto was honored for applying circular economy practices like innovative water saving methods in its textile production while maintaining luxury quality.
Giovanni Bonotto in Osaka.
Courtesy of ADI
The winning projects will be on display at the Italy Pavilion until the closing of Expo 2025 on Oct. 13.
Masami Takahashi (right) receives her award.
AloJapan.com