OMA: fondazione prada headquarters in largo isarco, milan

'fondazione prada' by OMA, largo isarco, milan, italy
image © designboom


while at the venice art biennale earlier this summer, designboom visited 'OMA with/for prada',
a retrospective-of-sorts on the pair's recent collaborations, including the new fondazione prada in largo isarco, milan.

the display of intricate scale models and prototypes comes at a poignant time, with construction of the headquarters
now underway. OMA's scheme, which will see the refurbishment and expansion of the 20th century distillery,
is set for completion in 2013.



detail view of model
image © designboom


located in south milan, the design aims to generate a new gallery typology that speaks to the evolving nature and
interpretations of art, fashion, design, technology and cinema. refined and dynamic, the structure seeks to become an
organic expansion of the fondazione's collection, while taking into account the historical context of both the brand
and the site.



the existing structures running the perimeter of the site will remain
image © designboom


once realized, the complex will house a selection of works from the permanent collection, temporary exhibitions,
large-scale installations and the archives of prada and lune rossa. 



physical model of tower
image © designboom


within the perimeter of the complex exists two freestanding structures: one vertical unit that will remain, and one
unstable structure that will be demolished and converted into a central open-air courtyard.



view of tower and surrounding structures
image courtesy of fondazione prada / © attilio maranzano


an existing great hall will be adapted for curatorial ingenuity, while maintaining many of the qualities and characteristics
intrinsic to the industrial site. in its basement, the collection will be arranged in a hybrid of storage and display,
where work can be unpacked or partially revealed to the public.



enlarged sections of the model hang around the exhibition
image courtesy of fondazione prada / © attilio maranzano


of three new structures, a ten-storey tower is the most radical. conceived as an environment for artists and curators,
the unit proposes to offer fundamentally different architectural conditions where creation, collaboration and display
come together.



detail of tower
image © designboom


an autonomous 'black box' will provide a meeting ground for art, media, technology and the public.
opening to animate and interact with the adjacent courtyard, the structure will host open-air movies, and performances,
while connecting various components of the immediate and international art scene. 



detail of model
image © designboom


the final addition is an 'ideal museum', a space that combines the intimate and sub-divided qualities of a traditional
museum with a vast and open day-lit hall. slotted for large-scale installations, the gallery will be equipped with the
necessary technologies to participate in the world-wide exchange of exhibitions.



one of the existing structures
image © designboom


four 'houses' that face the courtyard to the north and an abandoned garden to the south will accommodate administrative offices
and permanent galleries.



contrasting new and old elements
image © designboom



detail of 'ideal museum'
image © designboom



view inside model of 'ideal museum'
image © designboom



model of 'black box'
image © designboom



diagram of site and program
image © OMA


diagrams and details from fondazione prada's catalogue:



'ideal museum'
image © designboom



'massing'
image © designboom



'tower: structure'
image © designboom



'tower'
image © designboom



'transformation'
image © designboom



aluminim foam cladding
for more information, see here
image © designboom



existing site
image © roberto marossi / courtesy fondazione prada

at the festarch 2011 conferences in perugia, italy, organized by international publication abitare, OMA's founder and principal architect
rem koolhaas spoke about our morbid obsession with preservation. he addressed effects of our increasing use of spaces that are not new,
and which are currently being used for purposes in which they were not originally built as is the case with the firm's restoration
and expansion of the fondazione prada headquarters in largo isarco. koolhaas turned to the art scene, focusing on the topic of
industrial buildings being transformed to house large scale installations and the preference of artists to exhibit their work in spaces where
architectural intervention is minimal, stating that there is 'no confrontation between architecture and art...'.