Within the scope of cultural events at Marmomac, every year an exhibition is promoted focusing on educational and research experiences involving experiments with the use of stone materials carried out by Departments of Architecture and Design in Italian and International Universities in collaboration with companies and vocational and art schools.

The Young Stone Project exhibition curated by Vincenzo Pavan and Raffaello Galiotto, involves objects and prototypes in stone made using materials of originating from the main Italian marble districts.

The link between universities and local areas functions very well in the stone industry thanks to the initiative by a group of architects and designers who are not only keen to include these materials in their courses but above all expand the interest shown by many companies in relation to university research. The outcome is clearly demonstrated by the quality of the objects and how the creativity of young designers has been effectively interpreted in the workshops of companies taking part in the initiative.

Some of the universities and Institutes involved:

• Bari Polytechnic University
• “G. D’Annunzio” University – Chieti-Pescara
• University of Rome La Sapienza
• University of Ferrara
• IUAV – Istituto Universitario di Architettura di Venezia
• Academy of Fine Arts in Verona
• Cignaroli Academy of Fine Arts in Verona
• San Zeno School in the Marble Sector in Sant’Ambrogio di Valpolicella
• Construction & Building School in Verona

Graduated from the Faculty of Architecture of Venice in 1968, he has been working professionally in Verona since 1975 where he began his own design research by participating in numerous international architecture competitions, later exhibited in exhibitions in Europe and the USA. Starting from 1979 he began an activity of designing and organizing architecture exhibitions and conferences for museums and public institutions. Since 1985 he has been collaborating with Veronafiere as coordinator of activities and events aimed at a re-foundation of the culture of stone in architecture and design. Since 1987 he has been curator of the International Award Architecture in Stone, a prestigious biennial award by Marmomac for the best works of contemporary architecture made with stone materials. He periodically collaborates with the Italian architecture magazines “Area” and “Materia“.

After studying Fine Arts in Venice, he founded his own design studio in 1993.
He specialised in designing injection moulded plastic products, and his interest in manufacturing processes and technology later led him to experiment with new solutions and exhibition formats, especially in the field of marble and natural materials. He designed many products and collections with major companies in the industry, exploring the main features of stone, such as surface, gravity, translucency, colour, the use of digital technology and waste reduction. His projects have been published in books and magazines and exhibited in museums and international events. He is also the curator of Marmomac’s experimental pavilion in Verona. He currently teaches design at the University of Ferrara.