The building was originally designed by architects Antonio Pastorini and Eugenio Salvarani, founding partners of Caire, and was extended several times over the following years.
It was a radically innovative design for its time, focused as it was on taking full advantage of natural ventilation and lighting, while locating service elements outside the central body, in order to create fully versatile space.
When the company was moved to its new headquarters, the Maramotti family decided to transform the old production site into an exhibition space to house the contemporary art collection of Max Mara’s founder, Achille Maramotti.
Andrew Hapgood, the English architect in charge of architectural design, chose to keep the existing building to avoid altering its character and to maintain its post-industrial image.
Few but incisive interventions were carried out to characterize the conversion. The orientation of the new entrance was changed, creating a new line of sight running parallel to Via Fratelli Cervi that furnishes the building with ample entrance spaces that open back through its east and west facades and lead the visitor forward into the new gallery.
Two new volumes were then created inside the building, allowing natural light to filter through into the heart of the ground floor.
The external part was designed following the same guidelines used for the building. Local trees and shrubs were chosen, as if to suggest recolonization of the location as a post-industrial landscape.
