Milan, QT8's former covered market becomes Centro Alti Studi per le Arti Visive

In Milan, at the QT8 district, construction work has begun on the transformation of theformer covered municipal market into the headquarters of CASVA - Centro Alti Studi per le Arti Visive, which collects the archives of the most important figures in the culture of design and will therefore transform the building into a center of European relevance for the study of twentieth-century architecture, art and design. The work, directed by MM, will result in the complete renovation of the two floors of the structure, which is located at the foot of Mount Stella at the corner of Isernia Street and Piazza Santa Maria Nascente, with the aim also of redeveloping the entire experimental district conceived by Piero Bottoni in the aftermath of World War II.

The subdivision of the building’s spaces is the result of shared planning by the City Council and City Hall 8, which wanted to integrate CASVA’s cultural offerings with the neighborhood’s initiatives, thus also guaranteeing its function as a center of aggregation and sociality. On the ground floor, in fact, rooms (over 120 square meters) will be made available to associations for initiatives and events, with an independent entrance on the street front that will allow access even outside the Center’s opening hours. Also on the ground floor will be set up a reception area with a bookshop, a large cafeteria and a multifunctional space (exhibition/conference room/screening room) of over 500 square meters.

On the other hand, the basement floor, almost 1,000 square meters, will be dedicated to the storage and archives of CASVA’s documentary heritage, which contains the archives of many prestigious artists, architects and designers including Enzo Mari, Luciano Baldessari, Roberto Sambonet, Studio DDL (Jonathan De Pas, Donato D’Urbino and Paolo Lomazzi) and Vittorio Gregotti. The archives will feature drawings, sketches, executive technical drawings, perspectives and axonometries, models, models, prototypes, work letters, posters, and photographs: evidence of the projects and dreams of many of the most famous and significant designers of the 20th century. The bookshop and library will provide volumes on architecture, design, graphics and urban planning, while CASVA’s exhibitions and cultural activities will ensure the vitality of the new cultural center.

As per the indications of the Archival Superintendence and the Archaeology Fine Arts Landscape Superintendence, since the building is listed, the recovery project preserves the structure derived from its original function as a market: in the various “stands” where merchants found space, the original subdivisions will not be torn down but “boxes” will be inserted that will adapt the spaces to the new functions; the tiled mosaics and other elements that characterized each store and the entire building will also be recovered, as far as possible. The work, which amounts to more than 4 million euros, including safety charges, will be completed in fall 2022.

The QT8 covered market today

Rendering of the CASVA, aerial view

Rendering of the CASVA, aerial view

Outline of the second floor

Interior

Entrance

Conference room

Reading room

Milan, QT8's former covered market becomes Centro Alti Studi per le Arti Visive

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