About Designed to Meet
What is D2M?
Designed to Meet [D2M] is a foundation aimed at realizing an international centre for Post-Acadamic research of cultures, values and globalization.
The centre will be situated on Sardinia (Sala-una) in Italy.
A building permit has been acquired.
About this website
D2M invites potential investors and chairholders to participate in this project. Detailed information can be found on this website or acquired personally.
Philosophy of the project
Sala-una's philosophy is to be a conference centre and more than a conference centre. The conference centre is not just a building situated in a beautiful surrounding: D2M facilitates an exchange of views between its visitors / guests with a wide variety of disciplines, generations and cultures.
- The Centre hosts a permanent presence of creative, talented guests, occupying a Chair ("Chair Resident"), carrying the name of the sponsoring company ("Chair Holder"). The intention of the Chairs is to build lifelong, international networks, based upon understanding, friendship and commitment to each other’s cultures and the public cause.
- The rationale of a company for granting a chair is a mix of emotion and business; social responsibility and brand enhancement.
- The Centre facilitates the exchange of views between Chair Holders and Chair Residents and to enrich the cultural staff with fresh ideas.
- D2M welcomes companies to use the resort as corporate meeting Centre. Chair Holders have priority rights in renting the centre as "your" corporate meeting centre.
- D2M organises programmes for guests from abroad with well-known scholars, artists, politicians, economists, ecologists, writers, musicians, poets, philosophers and spiritual leaders.
The overall aim of D2M is to invite its visitors to exchange their views through dialogue, communal dining and participation in the programmes available, including outdoor sportive activities, theatrical and musical events in the amphitheatre.
See also 'Founder' for more information and an interview with Fons Elders about D2M.
Architecture of the buildings
article in A10 magazine
Read the article,
or download PDF (2.2 MB)
Michele Saee is the architect of Sala-una.
The building comprises an auditorium with 250 seats; three aula’s with each 40 seats; five aula’s with each 20 seats; a library; exposition hall and meditation space; office space; ICT-room; restaurant and kitchen; and 120 bedrooms /apartments. The Centre includes an amphitheatre in the open air.
The architecture of the Centre embodies three qualities:
- The building breathes an atmosphere similar to its natural environment by being integrated in the landscape.
- The building expresses a spatial structure of dialogue, inviting its visitors to meet.
- The building provides, through its functions and ICT-facilities, a world-wide communication.