Natuzzi Supports Project For Refugees By Mario Cucinella
Furniture World News Desk on
5/23/2016
Artistic render of the Abitazione per la Pace
Natuzzi, the largest furniture company in Italy, recently reported its participation in Abitazione per la Pace, the first step of an initiative for refugees, proposed by actress and human rights activist Sharon Stone and Nobel Peace Prize recipient Betty Williams, which is among the major projects of the City of Peace for Children in the Region of Basilicata Foundation.
Abitazione per la Pace, designed by studio Cucinella, is a low-cost, high quality residential ecohouse; the shape of the complex is inspired by the wings of a butterfly and will be built using processed wood from controlled deforestation directly into the joinery of the Natuzzi Group.
The agreement for the construction of this first house was signed May 11, at the offices of the Food and Agriculture Organization in Rome, at the end of the Food for Security and Peace meeting. The event was attended by four Nobel Peace Prize laureates: Muhammad Yunus, Oscar Arias Sanchez, Tawakkol Karman, and Betty Williams, who, as Chairwoman of the Fondazione, explained the Città della Pace per i Bambini Basilicata project, which has ensured the welcoming, protection, and integration of over 110 refugees and asylum seekers to date, in accordance with a comprehensive acceptance model.
The architectural project to be realized in Scanzano Jonico (Matera), will welcome three refugee families, and may become an example to be replicated in areas most affected by the phenomenon of refugee acceptance.
"Being hospitable does not only mean making their home harmonious and comfortable, something to which we contribute every day with our work and our passion" says Pasquale Natuzzi, founder of the Group. "Being hospitable also means rolling up your sleeves to defend the universal right to shelter, when people are fleeing wars and famine. This is why Natuzzi supports the City of Peace Foundation."
More about Natuzzi S.P.A.: Founded in 1959 by Pasquale Natuzzi - current President and CEO - Natuzzi Group designs, manufactures, and sells a vast collection of sofas, armchairs, furniture for the dining room, beds and furniture for the bedroom, accessories, and home furnishings. Its headquarters are in Puglia, in Santeramo in Colle, in the province of Bari. With sales of 488.5 million euros in 2015, Natuzzi is the largest Italian home decor house and a unique global player in its sector, with 9 manufacturing facilities, a logistics hub in Italy, 12 commercial offices, and over 363 mono-brand stores throughout the world. Social ethics and responsibility, innovation, industrial know-how, and the integrated management of the entire value chain are the strong points that have made Natuzzi Group a market leader and the best known furniture brand in the world among consumers of luxury goods (IPSOS 2015). The Group is ISO 9001 and 14001 (Quality and Environment), and OHSAS 18001 (Occupational Safety) certified. As of December 31, 2015, it employed 4,762 full-time employees world-wide. Natuzzi S.p.A. has been listed on the New York Stock Exchange since May 13, 1993.
More about The City of Peace for Children in the Region of Basilicata Foundation: The City of Peace for Children in the Region of Basilicata Foundation originated with the idea of Betty Williams, Nobel Peace Prize laureate and Chairwoman of the World Center of Compassion for Children, who decided to take action in support of an alternative use for Scanzano Jonico (MT), designated in 2003 as a deposit site for radioactive material. The Foundation, created by the Basilicata Region and the municipalities of Scanzano Jonico and Sant'Arcangelo (PZ) alongside the World Center of Compassion for Children, has been active since 2011 in Sant'Arcangelo and endeavors to create a path to reception, protection, and integration for people who have suffered persecution or fear that they will due to their ethnicity, religion, nationality, or belonging to a particular social group.