Wall2Water, the green living wall implemented in the Municipality of Ferla, has been awarded the Professionals Prize at the Massimo Riili Award – Architecture Award 2025, promoted by National Association of Building Contractors (ANCE) and Confindustria Siracusa.
The recognition confirms Wall2Water as a highly relevant Nature-based Solution (NbS) within the framework of Interreg Euro-MED URWAN, where it functions as a concrete demonstration of how climate adaptation, water-sensitive design and social value can be integrated into everyday urban infrastructure in Mediterranean cities.
The award is particularly meaningful as it comes from leading organisations in the construction and industrial sectors, signalling a growing interest in architectural and technological approaches that place public interest, environmental quality and collective wellbeing at the centre of urban regeneration processes.
As stated in the official motivations of the jury, Wall2Water was recognised for its ability to combine technological innovation, architectural regeneration and social impact, transforming a school building into an active green infrastructure. The intervention addresses often overlooked dimensions of the urban water cycle and local microclimate through an advanced vertical greywater treatment system, while at the same time defining a new architectural language aligned with the ecological transition of the built environment.
Within URWAN, this experience contributes to a broader reflection on the role of NbS as strategic tools for climate resilience and just urban transitions. Wall2Water demonstrates how modular, replicable solutions can respond simultaneously to environmental challenges and social needs, particularly in contexts exposed to water scarcity and increasing temperatures.
The educational dimension of the project is especially significant. By turning the school into a living laboratory of sustainability, Wall2Water promotes participatory processes involving students and the local community in observing and monitoring ecological dynamics. In this way, technology becomes a catalyst for collective awareness, civic engagement and long-term cultural change around water and climate.
Wall2Water was conceived and developed by Iridra, implemented by SVI.MED ETS in collaboration with the Municipality of Ferla, with works directed by architect Francesco Giunta, who also submitted the application for the award.
Beyond its high technical quality, the prize recognises Wall2Water as a successful model of collaboration between public authorities, private companies, professionals and third-sector organisations – an approach that fully reflects URWAN’s emphasis on collective governance, place-based innovation and scalable solutions for urban resilience.
Today, the Ferla green living wall continues to play a strategic role in European research and innovation pathways. Its performance is continuously monitored and evaluated within the framework of CARDIMED, contributing robust evidence on circular water management and climate adaptation. At the same time, within URWAN, Wall2Water supports planning processes, knowledge exchange and the scaling-up of Nature-based Solutions as key components of climate-resilient urban strategies across the Mediterranean.
Special thanks go to ANCE Siracusa, the Riili family and the entire jury, including its president Carmelo Zappulla, for recognising a project that demonstrates how a shared, locally grounded vision can generate sustainability, architectural quality and long-term public value.
