The GOLD Mentions of the Ghana Innovation Farm contest reward Manni Group’s dry technologies

The four Gold mentions of the Manni Group Design Award, the international architecture contest which this year will focus on the cold chain in Ghana, have been awarded.

In order to be productive, the agri-food chain requires an efficient cold chain: the African continent has huge untapped potential for growth, and one of the reasons for this is that it lacks a proper temperature-controlled storage system, which means that one-third of perishable goods go to waste.

The refrigeration sector needs targeted, high-performing technologies: this year’s Manni Group Design Award invited architects from all over the world to design the GHANA INNOVATION FARM, a processing and training hub for the agri-food sector that is set to become a benchmark for Western and Central Africa.

Promoted by Manni Group in cooperation with YAC – Young Architects Competition, the contest is supported by several partners: SACE, InspiraFarms, Global Cold Chain Alliance (GCCA), Ifria, Fondazione Promozione Acciaio; Main Sponsor BASF; Sponsor RENOLIT Alkorplan Roofing Products and ROCKWOOL.

Besides awarding the top three prizes, the international panel of judges also awarded four GOLD Mentions linked to using the off-site construction technologies offered by Manni Group. Let’s take a look at the winning projects.

Gold Mention BASF | Starting Space | SOHU

BASF, the world’s largest chemical company, is the Main Sponsor of the third edition of the Manni Group Design Award. The design solution awarded with the BASF GOLD Mention is the Isopan Isofrozen panel for controlled temperature environments. The mention was won by the South Korean team SOHU, formed by Hu Ji-Yeon and Yoon Sohyun.

The two functional areas of the project, namely the Innovation Farm and offices on the one hand and the logistics hub for processing and storing the harvest on the other hand, share the aesthetic use of stylistic features inspired by Ghana's artistic tradition but differ in the materials used. The design is centred around claddings: wood and glass for the training areas and a series of drywall panels for the logistics area. In this case, Manni Energy solar panels provide the plant with electricity, while Isofrozen sandwich panels and ventilated façades from the Isopan ADDWind range help maintain the high standards of thermal insulation required for the cold chain.

Manni Sipre & Manni Green Tech Gold Mention | Storage Campus | YAs

The “Manni Sipre & Manni Green Tech” GOLD Mention was also won by a team from South Korea, that is, the architects of the YAs group: Seong Geun Jeon, Do Hyun Park and Ji Yoon Park.

This mention is awarded for using Manni Sipre structural steel elements or the Light Steel Frame by Manni Green Tech. The Ghana Innovation Farm by YAs is all about a rational supporting steel structure, built on a basic module measuring 5.15 x 5.15 m that can be reproduced to meet different environmental requirements. The structure is also integrated with an envelope made of sandwich panels and a Flat Roof.

"We have awarded this project because we believe that the rational development of the structure meets the practical needs of the building to connect the various spaces over a single large area, an aspect that also allows people from different environments to meet, facilitating a social and technical exchange within the Hub. The versatile use of the single module is also very interesting, which is replicated in various configurations, remaining open on the sides as a corridor or generating closed spaces if walls are raised. The use of corridors represents a pleasant continuum between inside and outside, and at the same time an effective connection between the various buildings of the structure ", Massimo Fabbri, Board Member and Technical and Industrial Director of Manni Group.

Flat Roof Solutions Gold Mention Isopan | Performative Landscapes | Dubucks

The “Flat Roof Solutions” GOLD Mention, which was recommended for choosing Isopan Isodeck PVSteel and GreenROOF, was awarded to the French team Dubucks, made up of Jaehyun Cho and Se-Woong KIM.

The distinctive features of this project are its accessible terrace at the top with GreenROOF covering the entire surface of the complex, supported by a Manni Green Tech Light Steel Frame, and the ventilated walls built using the Isopan ADDWind systems.

The green roof solution, which incorporates a layer of vegetation on a flat roof made of Isodeck PVSteel sandwich panels, is especially suitable for temperature-controlled environments, since it improves thermal insulation performance, making the building more efficient.

“The choice fell on Performative Landscapes due to the project's desire to enhance the potential of the land and bring the concept of agriculture to a higher level. In line with this concept of efficient cultivation and in harmony with the surrounding environment, the use of GreenROOF is crucial in reducing the impact of the building, both from a visual and performance point of view. This system itself contributes to enhancing the land where the structure rests, thanks to the numerous advantages it brings with it, including high insulating performance that guarantee thermal comfort of the interior spaces despite the high temperatures.

The green roof is accessible, in fact it acts as a mezzanine that embraces the existing nature while people can enjoy the landscape from a privileged observation point, where the roof becomes one with the surrounding environment", Luigi Guerrini, technical and logistic Director of Isopan.

Ventilated Façade Gold Mention Isopan ADDWind + Honourable Mention InspiraFarms | Progress Station | PABLO FUERTES

The “Ventilated Façade” GOLD Mention was awarded to Pablo Fuertes González of PABLO FUERTES from Spain.

Isopan ADDWind, the excellent use of which resulted in the joint mention with InspiraFarms, is a ventilated façade system consisting of components and layers that are mechanically fixed to the building. In this project, the cladding presents an interesting take on local aesthetic styles on the surfaces. The other Manni Group technologies used are Manni Sipre structural steelwork for the structure, a flat roof integrated with the Isopan GreenROOF system, and the Isofrozen Isopan panels for the storage areas.

"What convinced us to attribute the Gold Mention to this project was the concept on which it is based, namely the importance of joining forces and ensuring that all parties cooperate together in a single direction. These forces are industry and nature, innovation and tradition, education and leisure, and the union of them is physically represented by the single roof that covers the entire complex under which the various areas work side by side for a common goal.

The ventilated facades enclose these spaces below, where we can see two of the forces that drive this reality, tradition and innovation, meet: the texture of the facades, which is inspired by the typical triangles of Ghana, allows to associate new materials and ancient designs, reinforcing the identity of the project", Rocco Traini, Isopan Technical and R&D Manager.

The feasibility of the project, and more specifically the spatial layout from a logistical perspective, is the main factor that prompted Inspirafarms to award this mention.

“The InspiraFarms Mention was awarded to Progress Station, by the Spanish designer Pablo Fuertes González: a linear development integrating industrial and education buildings, with nature and existing transportation infrastructure. Progress Station stands out in the rural landscape, bringing the sustainability dimension of post-harvest and cold chain at the center of the landscape, like the most iconic interventions along many of the world’s highways. The most relevant aspects for the InspiraFarms mention reside in the modularity of the linear structure where steel is inspired by traditional patterns, and the sustainability elements of green roofs and ventilated facades integrate. Easy to be shipped flat-packed, the solutions provide the key elements for scalability and sustainability”, Carlo Bruni, InspiraFarms.