One of the most iconic buildings that make up the extraordinary mosaic of façades in Verona‘s Piazza delle Erbe, Palazzo Maffei is an emblem of baroque Verona, with its characteristic façade adorned with precious and decorative elements. On the occasion of the conservative restoration project initiated by the Veronese entrepreneur Luigi Carlon under the direction of the Baldessari e Baldessari Architetti e Designers studio, PERFORMANCE iN LIGHTING took care of the lighting design.
Today Palazzo Maffei houses a splendid House-Museum displaying Luigi Carlon’s private art collection. With this rich and eclectic collection – ranging from works by De Chirico, Magritte, Picasso, Duchamp, Balla, Boccioni, Vedova, Manzoni and Fontana – the museum is the new point of reference for art lovers in Verona’s museum scene. The architecture of the building and the choice of lighting were primary elements that influenced the total enjoyment of the museum experience.
The lighting design, directed by Paolo Baldessari with lighting consultancy PERFORMANCE iN LIGHTING, required meticulous planning. Following the indications of the Soprintendenza Archeologia, Belle Arti e Paesaggio for the provinces of Verona, Rovigo and Vicenza, which requested lighting systems that would not be visible or invasive in the monumental context, products with compact dimensions and miniaturised technology were selected to reduce overall dimensions to a minimum.
Some solutions specifically designed for this application context were also significant, such as special soft glass for all the linear projectors to provide a homogeneous and diffused light flow able to minimise the presence of sharp shadows. Outside, the façade lighting had to be calibrated and subdued so as to discreetly emphasise the richness of the decorations while creating as little light pollution as possible in the square in front.
The architectural lighting on the first floor enhances the five arches with as many NOTTURNO 1000 linear projectors with elliptical optics that bring out the richness of the decorations and the rich carving motifs of the cornice above. Continuing into the large courtyard, the restaurant’s outdoor area is entirely lit with dozens of MIMIK 20 wall-mounted fixtures, at 3000 K colour temperature, all fitted with accessory camouflaging frames that allow the surface to be kept the same as the walls, reducing the invasiveness of the installed product to a minimum, leaving only the luminous effect of the lit products.
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