5 June 2019 – Daikin Italy, the Italian subsidiary of the Japanese multinational and worldwide leader for air-conditioning and heating systems and an entire range of refrigeration solutions has opened the doors to the Daikin Solution Campus, at the new headquarters at Via Ripamonti 85, Milan. This multifunctional space is devised and designed to host events, gatherings and experiences that generate value and inspire innovative projects.

The Take a Breath, Make a Move event, which was held yesterday evening, was an inspirational talk about the circular and green economy and a platform for five thought leaders to speak. Although they come from different industries, they all share the same goal: like the organisers, they want to inspire people to take simple yet concrete actions that will make a difference. A goal that was set out in the very name of the event with an invitation to “stop, breathe and take the first step, make the first move.”

Presenting the event was the humanist and art critic Maria Grazia Mattei, who has been exploring technology as a resource for new creative languages for over thirty years. As the founder of MEET, the international digital culture centre in Milan, and the director of Meet the Media Guru, the event’s content partner, Maria Grazia Mattei guided the speakers through the evening with knowledge and suggestions:

• Danilo Bonato, the managing director of Remedia: “Everyone can clearly see that we need to transition from a linear economy to a circular economy. Research, eco-innovation and investments are critical factors needed to support a transformation that involves financial and institutional players as well as private individuals in a radical cultural change.”
• Luigi Galimberti, the founder of Sfera, Italy’s largest high-tech greenhouse: “Technology produces the best results when it meets the needs of the consumer, the environment and the worker. The Sfera project proves that we can produce more and better when we reduce consumption.”
• Fabio Tentori, the Head of Enel Innovability Hubs for the Enel Group: “Innovation and sustainability are closely linked and influence each other. Enel has established a strategy around this principle and involved start-ups, universities, employees and end users.”
• Marina Spadafora, the cutting-edge fashion designer and coordinator of Fashion Revolution: “The circular economy and innovation will be the driving forces behind the new paradigm of sustainable fashion. The Fashion Revolution project represents an accelerator in this epochal transition.”
• Matteo Gatto, the architect of Expo Milano 2015: “From Expo 2015 in Milan to Matera as the 2019 European Capital of Culture and then to Expo 2020 Dubai: the circular economy can influence the design of big events with a new approach that takes into consideration the entire lifecycle of major infrastructures.”

Architecturally designed to encourage “traditional” educational events as well as opportunities experiential sharing, the Daikin Solution Campus is inspired by the values in which the company invests on a daily basis, namely sustainability, comfort, technology, innovation and design, and features two main spaces that can be put to practical use and also adapted to the experience one wishes to create:

• Kizuna, a place designed to nurture the value of sharing and develop relations with employees, students, designers, the media, and end users or also simply with people who want to know more about the world of Daikin;
• Dojo, the depiction of a perfect “Japanese style” gym in which people can train to achieve excellence. Comprising six rooms, this area is designed for holding training and refresher courses and workshops and will be primarily used by installers.

By incorporating a wealth of branding, innovation, and technology expertise, Connexia has partnered Daikin on the design of the Daikin Solution Campus centre and the creation of an open innovation strategy based on a platform of relations with a variety of stakeholders which is part of a broader, longer-sighted innovation strategy. So the Daikin Solution Campus is the natural choice for holding activities and initiatives aimed at strengthening employee relations, creating training opportunities for clients, and, above all, showcasing the brand’s distinctive values with a busy programme of events for the general public.