The winners of the space interior design contest created an experience for hands, eyes and ears
“It will be like entering the mountain, touching its surfaces, listening to its sounds and observing its characteristics with your eyes”. These are the words with which Rebecca Ugolini, a 22-year-old from Savignano sul Rubicone, describes the experience of those who visit the Titan pavilion during Expo 2025 Osaka. Together with her colleagues Rachele Turci and Davide Passatempi, enrolled like her in the third year of the degree course in Design at the University of the Republic of San Marino, she won the competition through which the best project for the concept of the area planned for the Universal Exposition to be held in Japan.
“The intention – explains the student – is to welcome visitors into a space that inside has the shape of the mountain, with walls in light gray tones that replicate its profile and shapes, from floor to ceiling. This effect will be achieved with curved suspension elements that represent the characteristic layers of the rock."
As soon as you enter, on the left you will find three holes into which you can insert your hands to touch real San Marino stone: “It will be an experience that involves touch – says Ugolini – while a few steps further on there will be an area dedicated to hearing, for listening to sounds recorded on the Titan. From the passage from the military band to the simple chatter of people in the historic center, or the passing of vehicles on the streets."
On the right there is space for a series of projections that will show some aspects and glimpses of the republic, to complete a journey that takes on different meanings. “We were inspired by the morphology of the territory, which is something always changing as are the ways in which San Marino society manages itself. It is always evolving, attentive to change. We wanted to underline this parallelism by using it as the basis for the proposed concept."
In the pavilion, spread over 53 square metres, there will be a mezzanine set up to host meetings and discussions, while outside "there will be a smaller area in which products such as ceramics, stamps and wines will be sold, re-proposing the style of the main area ”.
The three students worked on the project under the scientific direction of teachers Riccardo Varini, Elena Brigi and Massimo Brignoni, with the coordination of various teaching assistants of the Design degree course: among them Matteo Giustozzi and Pietro Garofalo. “In addition to what we did at home, we dedicated at least one day a week, for a month, to working together, followed by tutor Nunzia Ponsillo, who accompanied us throughout the entire process. The biggest challenge – explains Ugolini – was giving a precise and sensible meaning to every choice made, justifying every stylistic and creative solution”.
For her, as for Turci and Passatempi, a plane ticket to Japan is provided, as indicated in the agreement between the University and the General Commissariat for San Marino's participation in the Expo: "If before enrolling in this degree course I had they said I would have had such an opportunity, I wouldn't have believed it,” concludes Ugolini. “It will be wonderful, I can't wait to go.”