The irregularly shaped plot was only partially covered by the dense post-industrial buildings, some of which are directly adjacent to its boundaries. Additionally, the designers’ artistic license was restricted by strict conservation guidelines. Therefore, it's no wonder that the jury chose a project which avoided extreme solutions and sought to harmoniously blend the modern building into the area.
The authors of the design, Italian architects Claudio Nardi in collaboration with Leonardo Maria Proli and Annalisa Tronci (Claudio Nardi Achitetto bureau) made use of the expositional potential hidden in the old factory halls. They aimed to create a place with a distinctive character by employing simple but strong signs.
First of all, the museum's grounds were delineated by high perpendicular walls which also marked out the main axes of the complex. These concrete walls, along with the elevations of the new edifice, form a specific passage leading into the buildings, and at some points expanding into small squares. In a building located next to one of these courtyards, one of the walls has been pulled down in order to create an arcade which also functions as an exhibition space.
The core of the museum was created by enclosing the renovated halls in a slightly larger glass structure which has its own independent design, covered with a single sawtooth roof corresponding with the forms of the roofs of the surrounding buildings. The entire ground floor is illuminated by natural light and a system of sliding shutters provides optimal conditions for the presentation of works of art. The underground floor is also designed according to the requirements of temporary exhibitions and an experimental gallery. A special expositional system consisting of fixed and mobile divisions of panels allows it to be rapidly reorganised. The complex also features a cinema, library, restaurant, guest houses, studios, warehouses and underground car parks.
Author: Alicja Gzowska, transl.GS, December 2014