future systems erects ferrari museum in modena, italy

future systems erects ferrari museum in modena, italy image © studio centro

in 2004 future systems won an international competition to design a new museum in modena, italy. dedicated to motor racing legend and entrepreneur enzo ferrari (1898 – 1988), the museum comprises exhibition spaces within the early nineteenth century house where the motor racing giant was born and raised, and its adjoining workshop, as well as a separate, newly constructed exhibition building.

following the death of jan kaplicky in 2009, the office of future systems was dissolved. andrea morgante, former associate director of future systems and now director of shiro studio, was appointed to oversee the museum’s completion.

interior view of the museum image © studio centro

the new building has been constructed according to kaplický’s original design. it is sensitive to the existing historical context, combining the latest in construction and energy saving technology, while resonating in visual language and materials with the cars it is intended to showcase. the fully restored house and workshop provide additional exhibition space designed by morgante.

kaplický wanted to create a dialogue between the two exhibition buildings that showed consideration for ferrari’s early home and underscored the importance of the museum as a unified complex made up of several elements.

stairway and roof detailing reflects the visual language of the car image © andrea morgante

the sculpted yellow aluminium roof with its ten incisions, intentionally analogous to those air intake vents on the bonnet of a car, allows for natural ventilation and day lighting, while taking into consideration the aesthetic values of car design. with its 3,300 square metres of double-curved aluminium, the roof is the first application of the material where it is applied in such a large scale. together with boat builders whose familiarity with organic sculpted forms and waterproofing made them the ideal partner, and cladding specialists, the form is constructed from aluminium sheets fitted together using a patented tongue and groove system. the bright modena yellow of the roof is ferrari’s corporate colour, as seen on the company’s insignia where it forms the backdrop to the prancing horse. it is also the official colour of modena.

the floor gradually tranfers into the wall image © andrea morgante

visitors entering the new building have uninterrupted views into the entire exhibition space: a large, open, white room, where the walls and floor transition lightly into one another and are perceived as a single surface. a stretched semi-transparent membrane spreads light evenly across the roof, recalling the language of a car interior. a bookshop and café are situated to one side of the entrance and facilities to the other, each painted the same modena yellow as the. a gently sloping ramp gradually leads the visitor around the building from the ground floor to the basement level, with display stands designed by morgante found along the circulation path. up to twenty-one cars can be displayed in this open space at any one time.

the display area raises the cars off the floor image © andrea morgante

the glass façade is curved in plan and tilts at an angle of 12.5 degrees. each pane is supported by pre-tensioned steel cables and is able to withstand 40 tonnes of pressure. the technical specification of these panes and cables means that greater transparency in the façade is achieved with maximum functionality. in the summer months a thermo-sensor activates the windows in the façade and roof allowing cool air to circulate. with 50% of the internal volume of the main exhibition building set below ground level, geothermal energy is used to heat and cool the building making this the first museum building in italy to use geothermal energy. the building also employs photovoltaic technology and water recycling systems. the height of the exhibition building reaches a maximum of 12 metres, the same height as the house.

dispay unit image © studio centro

large scale vertical book image © studio centro

the two-storey house and workshop built by ferrari’s father in the 1830s has been completely refurbished. later additions to the house and workshop have been removed and, with the exception of two internal bracing structures that have been inserted in accordance with italian anti-seismic regulations to give structural rigidity, no alterations have been made.

view of display area with different lighting conditions images © andrea morgante

the main gallery space is located within what was the double height workshop. here morgante has designed a contemporary exhibition display system, which incorporates digital projections, objects owned by ferrari, information panels and other material. the display system was conceived as a large-scale vertical book that allows the visitor to read the different chapters of ferrari’s life through various media; a three-dimensional immersive biography. the system takes the form of a sinuous wall separated into pages, so that as visitors progress down the room, they are able to gradually discover each page and chapter in sequence. this organic landscape stretches through the entire length of the 40 metre long space and soft, low-level backlighting gently illuminates both it and the room.

exterior view of the museum image © david pasek

restored house image © david pasek

detail of roof image © andrea morgante

model of building

site plan

house floor plan / level 0 1 – main entrance 2 – exhibition space 3 – exhibition room 4 – exhibition room 5 – meeting room 6 – office

gallery floor plan / level 0 1 – cafeteria 2 – ticket desk 3 – kitchen 4 – bookshop 5 – washrooms 6 – exhibition area

gallery floor plan / level 1

gallery floor plan / level -1 7 – conference room 8 – didactic room 9 – video installation room 10 – staff room 11 – technical room 12 – storage 13 – plant room

gallery and house long section

gallery long section

gallery cross section

north elevation

west elevation