luigi pecci centre for contemporary art set to open in italy

the luigi pecci centre for contemporary art is set to open in the italian city of prato. designed by maurice nio of architecture firm NIO, the structure covers an area of nearly 10,000 square metres and in addition to its exhibition space, houses an archive and specialized library containing over 50,000 volumes. other facilities include an open air theatre with 1,000 seats, a 140-seat cinema/auditorium, a 400-seat performance space, a bookshop, and a restaurant, as well as workshops and various meeting rooms.

image by mario gianni / main image by lineashow

maurice nio’s design doubles the size of the institution, which began life in 1988. the luigi pecci centre — or centro pecci — seeks to promote awareness of emerging art through temporary exhibitions, educational activities, documentation and information, and entertainment and multimedia events. the pecci centre currently houses over 1,000 works by major international artists including anish kapoor, jan fabre, jannis kounellis, and sol lewitt — as well as renowned italian artists. to ensure that as many works as possible could be displayed, at the beginning of the 21st century the pecci centre decided to double the exhibition space, and, in 2006, commissioned maurice nio to lead the project’s design.

image by lineashow

the scheme primarily involves the expansion of the organization’s headquarters, but also its cultural program. consequently, the project is driven by the desire to facilitate the new program within the museum. titled ‘sensing the waves’, the new building creates a ring around the site’s existing structure, which has been completely preserved. with the new entrance at the bookshop and the restaurant, located within a transparent body on the ground floor, the complex faces outwards, inviting passersby through a public garden.

image by ivan d’ali

the new spaces of the pecci centre are distributed throughout the ring-shaped structure, which consists of two levels: the lower functions as a welcoming area, open to the public, while the upper storey is intended for exhibitions — clad with a metallic bronze coating. ‘with regard to the rigid, mechanical character of the existing structure, partly inspired by the industrial architecture of prato, the new project offers an interwoven style of fluid and dreamy shapes,’ says maurice nio. ‘it embraces and surrounds the original building, touching it only when necessary.’

image by lineashow