NATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE XXI CENTURY ARTS (MAXXI MUSEUM), Rome, Italy

Photo by Helen Binet

The MAXXI – National Museum of the 21st Century Arts is a national museum
dedicated to contemporary creativity, located in the Flaminio neighbourhood of Rome,
Italy, in the area of the former Montello military barracks. It is managed by a foundation
created by the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities. The complex houses
two institutions: MAXXI Arte (Director Anna Mattirolo) and MAXXI Architecture (Director
Margherita Guccione), aiming to promote art and architecture through collection,
conservation, study and exhibition of contemporary works. In addition to the two
museums the MAXXI includes an auditorium, library and media library, bookshop and
cafeteria, spaces for temporary exhibitions, outdoor spaces, live events and commercial
activities, laboratories, and places for study and leisure.

As of today, over 300 works are part of the MAXXI Art collection, including those
of Boetti, Clemente, Kapoor, Kentridge, Merz, Penone, Pintaldi, Richter, Warhol and
many others. MAXXI Architecture includes the files of the designs of Carlo Scarpa, Aldo
Rossi, Pierluigi Nervi and others, as well as the projects of contemporary authors such

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as Toyo Ito, Italo Rota and Giancarlo
De Carlo, and photography
collections of the projects Italian
Atlas and Author’s Site.

Project facts:

 Dimensions
 Total site area: 29,000 m2
 Exterior spaces: 19,640 m2
Aerial view of Maxxi Museum
 Interior spaces: 21,200 m2
Photo by Iwan Baan
 Exhibition spaces: 10,000 m2
 Facilities (auditorium, library and media center, coffee shop, restaurant, admin.):
6,000 m2
 MAXXI Arte: 4,077 m2
 MAXXI Architecture: 1,935 m2
 Maximum height: 22.90 m
 Cost: EUR 150 Million
 Visitors forecast: between 200,000 and 400,000 per year1

Architectural Analysis

The Maxxi Museum materialized the concept of the confluence of lines, where
the primary force of the site is the walls that constantly intersect and separate to create
both indoor and outdoor spaces. It’s no longer just a museum, but an urban cultural
centre where a dense texture of interior and exterior spaces have been intertwined and
superimposed over one another. It’s a mixture of galleries, irrigating a large urban field
with linear display surfaces.

1
From Zaha Hadid Architects - MAXXI - National Museum of XXI Century Arts in Rome,,
http://www.archinnovations.com, 2009
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 The walls of the MAXXI create major streams and minor streams. The major
streams are the galleries, and the minor streams are the connections and the bridges.
This system acts on all three levels of the building, the second of which is the more
complex - with a wealth of connections with various bridges that link buildings and
galleries. The visitor is invited to enter into a series of continuous spaces, rather than
the compact volume of an isolated building. Outside, a pedestrian walkway follows the

ENTRY

PEDESTRIAN PATH

VEHICULAR PATH

Maxxi Museum Site Plan, Source: http://www.architectsjournal.co.uk; modified by Zeus Salvo

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outline of the building, restoring an urban link that has been blocked for almost a
century by the former military barracks.

The two museums - MAXXI Art and MAXXI Architecture – are located around a
large full height space which gives access to the galleries dedicated to permanent
collections and temporary exhibitions, the auditorium, reception services, cafeteria and
bookshop.

VERTICAL CIRCULATION

ENTRY POINTS

Source: http://www.archinnovations.com

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 ALSO SERVES AS VIEWING DECK

GLAZING AND
STRUCTURAL RIBS THAT
FILTERS LIGHT

OPEN BELOW
ALLOWING
NATURAL LIGHT

INTERTWINED
BRIDGES WHICH IS
THE HIGHLIGHT OF
THE INTERIOR

Source: http://www.archinnovations.com

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 SUNLIGHT IS WARM AIR EXITS
BEING FILTERED THROUGH THE
VOIDS

COOL AIR ENTERS

Cross section of Maxxi Museum main lobby, Source: http://www.architectsjournal.co.uk; modified by Zeus Salvo

Maxxi Museum interior, Photo by Iwan Baan

Two principle architectural elements characterize the project: the concrete walls
that define the exhibition galleries and determine the interweaving of volumes; and the
transparent roof that modulates natural light. The roofing system complies with the
highest standards required for museums and is composed of integrated frames and
louvers with devices for filtering sunlight, artificial light and environmental control.2

The sections of the building as compared to the floor plans are also irregular in
configuration. The Main Lobby has a high ceiling with piles of beam supporting the glass
roof on the top. Underneath the beams are bottom rails in which some displays are

2
From Zaha Hadid Architects - MAXXI - National Museum of XXI Century Arts in Rome,,
http://www.archinnovations.com, 2009
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hanged. Almost all of the spaces covered in the section area are provided with natural
sunlight through the glass roof which makes every spaces energy efficient.

Findings and Analysis

The site has a unique L-shaped footprint that winds between two existing
buildings. Rather than seeing this as a limitation, they used it as an advantage, taking it
as an opportunity to explore the possibilities of linear structure by bundling, twisting, and
building mass in some areas and reducing it in others - threading linearity throughout
both interior and exterior. The fluid and twisting shapes and the moderated use of
natural light lead to a spatial and functional framework of great complexity, offering
constantly changing and unexpected views from within the building and outdoor spaces.

Its external as well as its internal circulation follows the overall geometry of the
structure. The drifting emerges, therefore, as both architectural motif, and also as a way
to navigate experientially through the museum.

Glass roofing is provided throughout the building which follows the contour of the
plan, this provides every space in the building with enough lighting that minimizes the
use of electricity thus making the structure energy efficient. Underneath the glass roof
area are piles of slender beams that follow the shape of the glass, it serves as a guide
for visitors / viewers of the area. Together with the beams, below them are bottom rails
provided for suspended art exhibit.

Recommendation/ Application to the Study

One of the most prominent features of the museum, the circulation and
navigation through the museum would be considered for the current study. The use of
skylight and the strategies on how is it being utilized in the Maxxi museum would also
be considered to enhance the environment of the project. As for aesthetic, the concept
will might be used only as a basis and guide.

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