This great initiative in Carnago originated from the lucky encounter of public administration, a local business and public school. For two years, eleven students from the Frattini Arts High-School in Varese have worked in close contact with Gianmario Volpi's Design Studio, based in Carnago, and Carnago's Town Council, with the objective of creating the prototype of a design object for BICA, the town's new library.

This morning, the completed projects were unveiled by Mayor Maurizio Andreoli Andreoni and by Culture Counsellor Alvaro Guidolin. The ten objects are now on display in the library, where citizens can vote for the best one until May 15 (also on the project's facebook page). The winner will be announced on May 16, and the prototype will be produced by Studio Volpi. Among the entries there are chairs , armchairs, shelves and clever "disappearing" lamps, all thought out to be elegant and useful in the environment of the BICA, a library that is also and foremost a cultural centre.

"This is a beautiful example of fruitful collaboration between the public administration, private business and public school - said counsellor Guidolin - it gave the students a stimulating, real taste of the world of industrial design". The project was coordinated by design manager Manuela Ferrante and, on the part of the school, by professors Pier Vanni and Vito Maniscalco. "I am very happy about the outcome of this initiative - said the mayor - because the role of the public administration is not only to provide services or maintain public goods, it is also that of creating opportunities for the young to express their ideas".

Gianmario Volpi is equally satisfied, but will never tell what his favourite project is - "not even under torture" - as he inevitably looks at the works with a professional eye. "More than the ideas, I tried to assess the projects in terms of their consistence with the needs of the client, in this case the library".

Mariangela Gerletti for Varesenews