Fondazione Prada, an institution dedicated to promoting contemporary art and culture, founded by co-CEOs at Prada and married couple Patrizio Bertelli and Miuccia Prada, will settle into its new home in Milan on May 9, as reported by Dezeen. Designed by AMO, the respective “think tank” of Dutch firm OMA, also based in Rotterdam, Netherlands, the new location is sited in Largo Isarco, a renovated historic 20th-century distillery south of Milan’s city center. The project, spearheaded by OMA’s principal Rem Koolhaas, Hon. FAIA, was first revealed in April 2008 to convey how the multipurpose arts center would expand and differentiate the types of spaces in which art can be exhibited. The construction process includes 11,000 square meters, or 118,000 square feet, of renovation work within the seven existing buildings, and three new additions—an exhibition venue, an auditorium, and a nine-story museum tower. The entrance building will lead to a children’s play area, designed by students from the École Nationale Supérieure d’Architecture de Versailles. In between these new structures will be courtyard spaces.
The complex will host Fondazione Prada’s events and exhibits, featuring cinema, design, architecture, philosophy, fashion, and performance. Founded in 1993 by Bertelli and Prada, the organization puts on shows featuring artists such as Anish Kapoor, Louise Bourgeois, John Baldessari, and Tom Sachs. The former location for the programs was Via Fogazzaro 36 in Milan, when the foundation was founded. However, both locations are said to host related exhibitions of ancient art from Prada’s collection this summer.
AMO, established in 1999, is regarded as the “mirror image” of OMA, producing architectural projects related to fashion, media, and communications so they can stay relevant within these fields and their work does not fall into the “remit” or the architecture industry. Prada has a longstanding, 25-year relationship with OMA, collaborating on projects such as store interiors, catwalk designs, and exhibition spaces.
An earlier version of this post misspelled the names of Louise Bourgeois and John Baldessari. ARCHITECT regrets the error.
