M9 is a museum of the cultural inheritance of the 20th century, located in a small museum quarter in Mestre, the mainland gateway to Venice. An agent of urban renewal, this educational institution and events venue provides a point of local identification and helps to redress the disparity of cultural wealth between Mestre and the tourist magnet across the lagoon.
Project Name: M9 Museum District
Studio Name: Sauerbruch Hutton
Design Team: Matthias Sauerbruch, Louisa Hutton, Juan Lucas Young; Bettina Magistretti; David Wegener, Carlos Alarcón Allen, Sibylle Bornefeld, Marc Broquetas Maduell, Giuseppe Castellaneta, Stefan Fuhlrott, Costanza Governale, Stephanie Heese, Philipp Hesse, Anna Hollstein, Rémi Jalade, Jonathan Janssens, Isabelle McKinnon, Emanuela Mendes, Francesca Poloni, Gonzalo Portabella, Tanja Reiche-Hoppe, Nora Steinhöfel, Francesco Tonnarelli, Jörg Albeke
Gross floor area: 25.600 m²
Year: 2018
Location: Via Pascoli 11, 30171 Mestre VE, Italy
Photography Credits: Alessandra Chemollo ©Polymnia Venezia
Other Credits:
Local architect: SCE Project S.r.l., Milano
Structural engineering: SCE Project S.r.l., Milano
HVAC: Tomaselli Engineering, Fontanafredda; Hospital Engineering Group S.r.l., Pordenone; Studio Tecnico Giorgio Destefani, Sesto San Giovanni
Energy concept: Ambiente Italia S.r.l., Milano
Electrical engineering: Studio Tecnico Giorgio Destefani, Sesto San Giovanni
Fire protection: GAE Engineering S.r.l., Torino
Suppliers: NBK Keramik GmbH, Emmerich am Rhein; Pollmeier Massivholz GmbH & Co. KG, Creuzburg
The M9 scheme consists of one larger and one smaller new building – for the museum and its offices, respectively – plus a former convent and an office building. Together they frame a new public square and open up a diagonal pedestrian link from Piazza Erminia Ferretto to the important thoroughfare of Via Cappuccina. This passes through the courtyard of the 16th-century Convento delle Grazie, which was renovated and converted for uses that complement those of the small quarter. The route through the block is enlivened at street level by various cafés, restaurants and shops.
The museum building likewise offers public facilities on the ground floor, including a media library, an auditorium, a museum shop and a café. A long, dramatic staircase leads up to the galleries and event spaces. The permanent exhibition occupies two ‘black box’ floors and takes a narrative approach to the history of modern Italy, while temporary exhibitions are housed in a naturally lit ‘white box’ on the top floor.
M9 is an active museum with no thresholds to inhibit entry; it addresses residents and tourists, young and old alike. In its provision of a social location, the development as a whole sustains the lifeblood of the European city.
