South of Milan city center, an old gin distillery has been transformed into a cultural institute that since 2015 accommodates Fondazione Prada. The building complex comprises a total area of 19.000 m2 and provides permanent space for various cultural projects.
The old Largo Isarco distillery, originating from 1910, is characterized by great spatial variety. It consisted of seven different buildings. Three new buildings have been added in the new design of OMA. They provide room for a gallery for temporary exhibitions (Podium building), a cinema for multimedia presentations (Stage building) and a ten story high tower for permanent exhibitions, presentations and symposia (the Tower). The old buildings of the complex were renovated. The entrance, a bar, a museum shop, exhibition spaces, offices and archive spaces are located here.
New, old, horizontal, vertical, wide, narrow, white, black, open, enclosed — all these contrasts establish the range of oppositions that define the new Fondazione
Rem Koolhaas
Level Acoustics & Vibration has consulted on aspects of room and building acoustics, sound of installations and sound emission, for both new and existing buildings. The acoustic finishing of the exhibition spaces in the Podium building, including the visually attractive aluminum foam panels, was especially designed for this project. The acoustic design of the existing buildings focused on achieving the preferred speech intelligibility in the spaces itself, and sufficient sound insulation between the spaces, without losing the industrial atmosphere of the buildings.
Header image: photograph by Bas Princen, courtesy of Fondazione Prada
