Now’s Your Chance to Rehab This Remote Italian Fortress
In what is in fact an actual competition and not the treatment for a sort of art house rom-com, the Young Architects Competition announced Art Prison, a once in a lifetime opportunity to turn an old Italian fortress into a contemporary art space.
Housed on the island of Favignana, the Santa Caterina fortress has been abandoned for almost a century and was most recently used as a prison. Open to students and young professionals alike, the brief asks budding architects to “transform an ancient prison into a treasure chest containing works of art.”
The island has become a tourist destination and the government is looking to turn the impressive structure into a hub for arts and culture. Because the island and the fortress are remote, the competition asks architects to meditate on the idea of solitude, and let it inform their designs.
First prize is €10,000 and coverage in various architecture magazines and websites, and the designs will be judged by a panel of influential architects and designers. Early bird registration is open until February 11 with all materials due April 11.
If this Game of Thrones-esque trailer doesn’t get your creative juices flowing, we don’t know what will.