Internazionale Marmi e Macchine Carrara (IMM) is pleased to announce this year’s MARBLE ARCHITECTURAL AWARDS (M.A.A.) competition as part of its activities aimed to promote natural stone and related industries.

The awards shall be given to architects, planners or designers who have contributed to a better use of natural stone in contemporary architecture, either technically or aesthetically

Every year the competition is held in a different geographic area according to a six-year cycle, planned as follows: North America, East Asia, Europe (excluding Italy), Italy, Oceania/Central and South America/Southern Africa, North Africa/Middle East.

The MAA first cycle started in 1985 and the fourth cycle, started in North America in 2003, has just come to an end.

The 2008 edition will be reserved to Oceania, Central and South America, Southern Africa.

The MAA is endorsed byUnion Internationale des Architectes (UIA), Consiglio Nazionale degli Architetti (CAN) and competent Associations for each geographical area, American Institute of Architects (A.I.A.) and Architects Regional Council Asia (ARCASIA) for instance.

These Associations’ involvement entailed the participation of designers, architects and planners and some of the most prestigious firms in contemporary architecture contributing to the documentation of a unique archive.

Among the selected firms :

• I.M. Pei (New York);
• Skidmore-Owings and Merril (Houston);
• Samwoo Arch. (Seoul);

• Satow (Tokyo);

• Foster Assoc. (London);

• Henning Larsens (Copenhagen);

• Dani Karavan (Tel Aviv);

• Adolfo Natalini (Florence);

• Harry Seidler (Sidney);

• Kohn Pedersen Fox (New York);

• Cesar Pelli and Assoc. (New York);

• Paul Andreu (Paris);

• Mario Botta (Lugano);

• Hans Hollein (Wien);

• Richard Meier and Partners (New York);

• Michael Graves (Princeton);

• Kisho Kurokawa and Assoc. (Tokyo);

• Seok ChulKim and Assoc. (Seoul);

• Joan Otto Von Sprekelsen (Copenhagen);

• Hideto Horinke + Assoc. (Tokyo);

• Shuhei Endo (Tokyo);

• Kajima Design (Tokyo);

• Takenaka Corp., Architecture Design Institute (Beijing);

• Makoto Sei Watanabe (Tokyo);

• O.M. Ungers (Berlin);

• Kleihnes+Kleihues (Berlin);

• Kenzo Tange (Paris);

• Von Gerkan Marg und Partner (Berlin).

Leading firms work on prestigious works :

• Arc de la Defense a Parigi;
• Museo d'Arte Moderna a Francoforte;
• Hong Kong and Shangai Banking Corporation a Hong Kong;
• Bank of China ad Hong Kong;
• Getty Center a Los Angeles;
• La Finlandia Hall a Helsinki;
• Winter Garden a New York;
• Monumento al Milite Ignoto di Bagdad.