The project for the ADI Compasso d’Oro Design Museum was presented at a press conference in the splendid setting of the Belvedere at the Palazzo Lombardia.
The historic collection of the most prestigious Italian design award is in the process of becoming a museum representing the entire Italian design system.
A total of 5,135 square metres of surface area – 3,000 of which are reserved for exhibition and display purposes – made available to the public, will make it one of the largest museums dedicated to design in Europe. There will be over 2,000 pieces on display, enriched by new acquisitions following each edition of the award. The permanent exhibition will also feature award-winning objects from 1954 to today, thematic exhibitions, spaces dedicated to business meetings and public events.
It is the culmination of a journey started in 2011, which saw the commitment of the Milan City Council, the Lombardy Region and the State, together with the ADI Compasso d’Oro Collection. The completely redesigned and renovated former industrial area between Via Ceresio and Via Bramante has become a design centre open to dialogue with all contemporary organizations and dedicated to the enhancement of the Italian production system.
The museum will be laid out according to the design developed by Ico Migliore, Mara Servetto (Migliore + Servetto Architects) and Italo Lupi, winner of a national competition. The design is based on the idea of the “museum as narrator” and it will take the form of a cultural centre open to the general public, actively involved in spreading knowledge and awareness of design.
The management strategies for the new museum will be established by a Steering Committee which will include designers Walter de Silva and Giulio Ceppi together with design and architecture historians Luca Molinari and Beppe Finessi and a host of other leading figures from areas outside the traditional design confines. They are joined by significant names from the worlds of economy, business and communication such as Paolo Borzatta, director of The European House – Ambrosetti; Alberto Spinelli, Confindustria Lombardia; Claudio Feltrin, President of Assarredo; Vincenzo Gringoli, Bain & Company and Monica Maggioni, Rai.
The new ADI Design Museum Compasso d’Oro of Milan will thus be an important international reference point for all those creative, productive, economic, professional and social activities that revolve around design.