TELECOM ITALIA AND EXPO 2015: AT THE START THE CONTEST OF INNOVATIVE IDEAS FOR THE SMART CITY’S DESIGN AND PLANNING

expo milanoDuring the second stage of EXPOVISIONS, the new initiative to identify projects on Cloud Computing and NFC technologies has been presented: they will be relevant for urban and domestic contexts, in order to make cities smarter, more livable and sustainable.

Milan, April 8th 2013

Expo 2015 and Telecom Italia, in collaboration with the monthly magazine Domus, launch “Digital Ideas for Expo City 2015”, the contest addressed to designers, with the aim of identifying innovative solutions, based on new digital technologies for urban and domestic contexts, able to positively affect the territory and people’s lifestyle.

The three best selected projects could be developed in the Digital Smart City of Expo Milano 2015, a digitalized and sustainable area which Telecom Italia, as Global Service Partner of the World Expo, will contribute to realize.

The contest was presented today during the second stage of EXPOVISIONS, a series of events organized by Expo 2015 and Telecom Italia which outlines the approaching to the 2015 event and wants to foster the elaboration and the proposal of ideas and suggestions to improve the quality of life, also through the participation of culture and technological innovation personalities. The event “Digital for Life. Solutions for a smarter world”, which took place at the National Museum of Science and Technology in Milan, was attended by the participation of Giuseppe Sala, CEO of Expo 2015, Marco Patuano, CEO of Telecom Italia, Joseph Grima, Domus Director, Dan Hill, CEO of Fabrica and Italo Rota, architect of international reputation from Studio Italo Rota & Partners.

The project “Digital Ideas for Expo City 2015” aims at involving students, architects and designers in founding new ideas for using new digital technologies to be applied in urban and domestic areas, in order to transform the city’s life in a smarter, more efficient and more sustainable way. In particular, the proposals would consider at least the use of one technological component developed by Telecom Italia: the solution of Cloud Computing of Nuvola Italiana/Italian Cloud (the complex of computer resources now available with the broadband connectivity web) and the NFC (Near Field Communication), the short-range radiofrequency technology which allows the information to be shared among close devices.

The proposals would be referred to these sectors: Smart City and its possible use in the context of the Digital Islands, multi-services areas within the urban fabric, conceived as “open boxes” for App and innovative technologic services (from users’ recharging to daily payments through mobile devices and touristic information services); Mobile Application, the set of mobile applications developed for Expo 2015 which will permit an involving and total enjoyment of the event for virtual and real visitors; Digital Home & Office + Smart School, the digital services for houses and buildings monitoring and automatic management, both in a private and in a professional environment, and for computer solutions for the school system.

The proposals must be submitted on the website www.domusweb.it until the 30th August, 2013 and will be selected by a high qualified jury, composed by Nicola di Battista (architect and professor of Architectural Planning at the University of Cagliari), Joseph Grima (Domus Director), Marco Patuano (CEO Telecom Italia), Carlo Ratti (MIT Professor), Franco Regis (Deputy President Energy Purchase & Management, Telecom Italia), Italo Rota (architect, Studio Italo Rota & Partners), Giuseppe Sala (CEO Expo 2015).


“To rethink the city starting from our houses, the work environment, the urban areas where we daily live or where we would like to live, through the use of new technologies: this is the new challenge we launch today to enrich the roadmap of the project Digital Smart City for Expo 2015”, declared Marco Patuano, CEO of Telecom Italia. “We want to share this opportunity of development for the Country and to contribute to the blossom of a new culture, that will be grounded on the important role of the technological innovation as a key element of a smarter and more sustainable world. For this reason, we address ourselves to the best young foreign and Italian talents, offering them a concrete opportunity to become the protagonists of the creation of the city of the future, thanks to their ideas”.


“Expo Milano 2015 needs young and innovative ideas, in order to become a real Smart City of the future, a reference model to be applied in different urban contexts”, explained Giuseppe Sala, CEO of Expo 2015 S.p.A.. “To reach this objective, we need an original, innovative and smart approach: the way young people look at the world. With the project Digital Smart City for Expo 2015, we ask for the development of technological proposals and applications, which intend to improve our daily lifestyle, the places we usually attend for work, leisure or personal interest. The World Expo offers the most brilliant and resourceful brains a unique lab to test and showcase themselves”.