Bolzano, located in the Italian region of South Tyrol, might soon welcome a new architectural highlight. Peter Pichler Architecture has proposed a design for the so-called Museum Depot, where local cultural collections would be housed under one roof that seamlessly blends in with the mountainous landscape.
The Italian architecture studio of Peter Pichler has unveiled its design for Museum Depot, a museum and storage facility in one. Designed to house the cultural collections of the region around Bolzano, the project should come to life in the near future, as it was accepted by the authorities and has received official approval.
The building will house the cultural assets of the province of Bolzano in a centralised depot space, while acting as a cultural and architectural landmark for the public. The design allows for exhibition spaces, storage areas, workshops, laboratories, and offices to be housed under the same roof. Overall, some one million objects would be conserved on-site and should thus become easier to access for the public.
“The new design was confronted with a dual obligation: to perform as an optimised preservation facility while simultaneously responding to the cultural demands of the region. Unlike the historical distribution of depots of varying scales and programs scattered across South Tyrol, the new museum depot consolidates these functions into a unified facility, creating an integrated regional space for archaeological research”, Peter Pichler Architecture said in a statement.
Design of the building
As far as the outlay of the building is concerned, the Museum Depot will be divided into two separate areas. Aboveground, the well-lit, timber-clad interior will allow visitors and staff to be welcomed and work under the best conditions. Underground, the stored collection and exhibition zones enjoy thermal stability, thus visually diminishing the building’s impact on its surroundings.
Aside from the triangular façade in the front of the building, the design allows for an internal, green courtyard, which should bring extra daylight into the offices at the back. Meanwhile, the green sloping roof makes it blend in amongst the surrounding vineyards and mountains.
“The green roof becomes an extension of the landscape, fostering continuity and a seamless dialogue between architecture and its natural setting. By partially embedding the building into the ground, the project reduces its perceived scale and respects the surrounding context and typology”, the architecture studio said.
Since its foundation in 2015, Peter Pichler Architecture, based in Milan, has completed a lot of projects across Italy, Austria, and beyond. Many of those are set within nature-rich surroundings, such as the Oberholz Mountain Hut in Obereggen (Italy), and tend to blend in with the landscape.
