Italian Design Day 2026 celebrated in Oslo with a seminar by architect Mario Cucinella on the regeneration of urban spaces, in dialogue with Goppion and Fondazione Luigi Rovati.
Italian Design Day 2026 was celebrated last night in Oslo, an initiative organized by the Embassy of Italy and the Italian Cultural Institute, with the support of the Italian Trade Agency (ICE). The event took place in the Pressens Hus (the Norwegian Press House), which was filled for the occasion with an audience of architects, designers, urban planners, and representatives of the capital’s art and cultural sectors.
The protagonist of IDD in Oslo was architect Mario Cucinella, Founder & Creative Director of MCA – Mario Cucinella Architects, one of the leading international figures in sustainable architecture and creative empathy. His speech was introduced by Ambassador Stefano Nicoletti and by the Director of the Italian Cultural Institute, Raffaella Giampaola.
The conversation also featured Monica Loffredo, Director of Fondazione Luigi Rovati, and Bruno Goppion, Commercial Director of Goppion.
In the year in which Italian Design Day around the world proposes the overarching theme “RE-DESIGN. Regenerating spaces, objects, ideas, relationships,” architect Cucinella, drawing on more than 35 years of professional experience, illustrated to the audience the role of design and architecture in improving everyday living spaces and enhancing the well-being of communities.
The Palazzo of Fondazione Luigi Rovati, located in the Porta Venezia district of Milan, restored and transformed into a cultural center, was the main focus of the journey through architect Cucinella’s work. Awarded the prestigious Compasso d’Oro ADI 2024 in the “Exhibition Design” category, the architectural redevelopment project of the building, curated by MCA – Mario Cucinella Architects in close dialogue with the ownership, was at the center of a discussion with Fondazione Luigi Rovati—an Italian non-profit cultural institution dedicated to the promotion and enhancement of art, history, culture, and scientific research—and Goppion, a historic Italian company and an international benchmark in the design and production of museum display cases and exhibition systems for the preventive conservation of cultural heritage.
Goppion’s display cases now house the artworks and artifacts exhibited in the Foundation’s Museum (as well as the cases in the new National Museum of Norway in Oslo). During the panel, particular emphasis was placed on the relevance of this venue not only from a cultural perspective but also from a social one: a place where archaeology, contemporary art, and architecture intertwine, offering the city a new visitor experience that helps enrich the community’s social fabric. The art museum is conceived as a space for experimentation, where Etruscan, modern, and contemporary works are displayed side by side, offering the public a museum experience that integrates archaeological heritage with present-day artistic practices.
“The role of design and architecture in urban regeneration, in the transformation of everyday spaces, and in improving environmental quality and community well-being are the key concepts of this edition of Italian Design Day, which we had the honor of celebrating together with one of the leading contemporary Italian architects, also the author of the Italy Pavilion at Expo Osaka 2025. As every year, IDD has also allowed us to highlight and promote two major design events in Italy—the Salone del Mobile in Milan and Milan Design Week, scheduled from April 20 to 26,” said Ambassador Nicoletti.
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