Contemporary Art Museum – Maramotti Collection

From industrial facility to exhibition space

The building that now houses the Collezione Maramotti was originally designed as an industrial facility by architects Antonio Pastorini and Eugenio Salvarani, founding partners of CAIREPRO.

The original design was innovative for its time, based on the use of natural ventilation and daylight, with service elements placed outside the main volume to create a large, flexible and easily adaptable interior space.

Following the relocation of Max Mara Fashion Group production activities to a new headquarters, the Maramotti family initiated the transformation of the complex into an exhibition space for the contemporary art collection of Achille Maramotti. Within this project, detailed architectural and structural design, together with construction supervision, were developed.

The architectural conversion project

The architectural conversion project, developed by architect Andrew Hapgood, preserved the original structure of the building in order to maintain its post-industrial character. The intervention focused on targeted modifications able to adapt the spaces to their new museum function without altering the architectural identity of the complex.

Among the main transformations was the redefinition of the access system, with a new entrance crossing the building and leading to the heart of the gallery. Within the large exhibition space, two new volumes were introduced to bring natural light into the centre of the ground floor, improving the spatial quality of the interiors.

The project also involved the external areas, with the creation of a park designed in continuity with the post-industrial character of the complex.

Photos: Bruno Cattani, Cesare Di Liborio, Carlo Vannini