Architecture Awards 2020

86 2020 Architecture Awards BUILD Jul20203 Most Client-Centric International Architecture & Interior Design Studio – Lombardy hen MMA Projects was established in 1999 by Marco Mangili, the company was a three-person team operating from a basement in a quiet suburban town. Today, the international company operates from a 300 sqm space near Milano with a team of 40 people consisting of architects, designers and engineers, all of different skillsets and specialties, from interior design, to architectural design, to BIM design. With projects across the globe and new branches and partnerships similarly reaching a worldwide scale, MMA is expanding its brand awareness and the scale and variety of its projects. Within the extensive MMA portfolio are hotels, offices and private villas and, like any credible architecture firm, the architects’ and designers’ passion for lighting, materiality and exquisite architectural features are preserved within every project. However, the MMA team are sculptors, searching for beauty and harmony within their works, with a core value that has evolved to focus on ‘thinking differently’. This has led the way to opening the mind to imagining spaces and volumes that have not yet even been dreamed of, and then putting these phenomena into existence. MMA’s central studio being 20km from central Milan, many of the projects are strongly influenced by the cultural fervour that has been invested into the city over the past decade, in order to cultivate Milan’s reputation as the centre of fashion and creativity. Architecturally, the city has seen great innovation in recent years as they experiment with combining modern lifestyles with practices influenced by the great masters of architecture and literature, such as Le Corbusier, Frank Lloyd Wright and Calvino. This has culminated in the cohesion of architecture and nature in ground-breaking projects such as the ‘Bosco Verticale’ by Stefano Boeri Architetti. The proximity to this city of innovation, combined with the influences taken from the company’s time spent in Dubai, China and beyond, has created an aesthetic that is unique to MMA. Delivering on these unique and exceptional projects takes an enormous collaborative effort. Although the MMA studio is divided into separate teams of interiors, architecture, materials and details, each with their own approach to work, the entire team communicates effectively, listening and working with their clients to deliver an outcome that both satisfies and amazes. The need for communication is consistent throughout the entire process. In the first step, it is about creating a strong idea, W sometimes based around the territory, the lighting or the client themselves. The MMA team aims to inspire their clients and make them dream big, so as to employ their extensive creative skills to make a personal impression on the client. When a design evokes an emotional response, the MMA designers know they are on the path to achieving something great. The second phase is putting these big dreams into existence, and MMA works hard to ensure the construction process keeps as close to the client’s brief as possible, collecting information, studying the sites, calculating budgets, concluding contracts and more. MMA are accomplished at both the creative and practical elements of architecture, allowing them to effectively complete projects and obtain positive results. As the company continues to expand its global reach, MMA is looking at how it can establish itself within new markets and cultures, whilst designing new architectural typologies. Most recently, this has manifested in the design and construction of a tower in Shanghai. While towers are new ground for the MMA team, they are keen to learn more about developing a visual component of the city and skyline. Their experience in the Middle East and Asia has given them valuable knowledge about building in cityscapes, while their proud Italian influences will create an architectural feat unlike any other. With the growing popularity of architectural ‘inspo’ on social media platforms, the industry has become very fast paced, with a lot of competition. The outbreak of Covid-19 and its repercussions have also meant that a great deal of business activity has been moved into the virtual realm. While these concepts may be challenging at times, by employing the central ethos to ‘think differently’, MMA is sure to stay well ahead of its competitors. Company: MMA Projects Contact: Alessandro Vaghi Web Address: www.mmaprojects.com MMA Projects is, according to its team, much more than an architectural firm. It is a laboratory of ideas, in which visual and aesthetic approaches work in harmony with practicality, functionality and precision. As a result, MMA creates exceptional architecture which is characterised by beauty, emotion and open minds all across the globe.