Architecture for Exhibition

The workshop will provide a practical opportunity to apply the knowledge gained in the other modules, offering participants the chance to engage with a project of international significance. Led by Herzog & de Meuron, the workshop will focus on the design of a new museum complex in the village of Crespi d’Adda, in collaboration with the Peggy Guggenheim Collection.

On a grand scale, often iconic or even monumental, industrial buildings have demonstrated how – through thoughtful and refined interventions – they can become formidable venues for art and culture: from the Tate Modern to the Prada Foundation, the history of architecture is rich in examples of distinguished museums created from disused industrial spaces. Students will therefore have the opportunity to follow in this tradition, devising a new setting for the exhibition of one of the world’s most famous and prestigious art collections: the Peggy Guggenheim Collection.

Through this workshop, students will not only have the opportunity to work on an architectural site of unique historical and cultural significance – already a UNESCO World Heritage Site – but also to put their creativity to work for a museum ‘brand’ whose name is associated with works by artists such as Picasso, Kandinsky, Pollock and Magritte.

The workshop will also focus on reflecting on the significance of museum architecture: not merely a place for the conservation and display of valuable works, but rather a dynamic and versatile space for culture and artistic research, capable of incorporating new functions and activities, in line with the students’ perspectives.