Restoration and set up of the Villa Bernasconi Museum (an Art Nouveau Villa built in 1905-1906 in Cernobbio, on Como Lake), to preserve and ehnance the pre-existing artistic-architectural features with the elimination of the superfetations and the realization of contemporary integrations through a minimal, light and bright design.
Studio Name: MAT – Luca Moretto
Design Team: Luca Moretto, AS32
Area: Europe, Italy
Year: 2016-2019
Location: Cernobbio (Lago di Como)
Consultants:
Photography Credits: Andrea Butti, Luca Mascheroni
Other Credits: MAT & Partners
The concept of the museum is that of “the talking house”: a new idea of Museum that involves the visitor actively and emotionally.
Through the two noble floors of the Villa the visitor/guest can move freely, between the rooms, just like in a house, in search for knowledge, artworks and sensorial experience. All the furnishings and display machines were specially designed for the museum set-up.
Studio profile
Luca Moretto was born in Turin in 1967, where he lives and works. He graduated from the Polytechnic of Turin (1991), he is docteur ès sciences at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (2001). He was a speaker at the XXIII UIA World Congress of Architecture; he participated in Culture_Nature, an accessory event of the XII Venice Biennale of Architecture. He is a curator of exhibitions, conferences and publications on modern Alpine architecture. The monograph on his works “L’architettura della formazione” was published by Marsilio Editori, in 2006, while the monograph titled “Architettura per la vita” of 2019, was published by Electa- Mondadori.
Among the main architectural works realized there are: Einaudi University College-San Paolo Section, Crocetta section and Po Section (LEED Gold certified) in Turin; II^ Faculty of Medicine and Surgery of the University of Turin and Neuroscience Institute Cavalieri Ottolenghi. – Cavalieri Ottolenghi Foundation (with L. Luciani) in Orbassano; New Court of Bergamo (with A. Isola); Headquarters of the Experimental Zooprophylactic Institute of Lodi (with Icis). He coordinated the restoration project of the Bela Rosin Mausoleum in Turin (with Gabetti & Isola) and of the art gallery of the Accademia Carrara of Bergamo (with A. Isola). He also coordinated the environmental redevelopment of Corso Galileo Ferraris in Turin and the humanization of the surgery department of the Ivrea hospital. He was the artistic director of the renewal of the Torino Porta Nuova station, and the director of the restoration works of Palazzo Callori in Vignale Monferrato (Piedmont Region), of the restoration of the ISIP school in Aosta (Valle d’Aosta Autonomous Region), and of the requalification of piazza Roncas in Aosta. He coordinated the refurbishment and modernization of the reception services and routes of the Royal Museums of Turin.
Thanks to the renovation of the headquarters of the Einaudi University College, he was the finalist of the architecture international award The Plan Award 2015, Best Italian Interior Design Selection by Platform 2018 and winner of the Honourable Mention in the competition La Ceramica and il Progetto 2018. Finalist at The Plan Award 2016 with TM Center; shortlisted at The Plan Award 2017 and special mention at the international German Design Award 2019 for the redevelopment of the Regional School of Aosta. Shortlisted at The Plan Award 2019 and nominee at German Design Award 2020 for the multi-purpose civic centre of Castelli Calepio. Shortlisted at The Plan Award 2018 for the Villa Bernasconi Museum project in Cernobbio (Lake Como), as well as Best Italian Exhibition Design by Platform 2019, and winner of the German Design Award 2020. Finalist at The Plan Award 2021 with Chamber of Commerce Sondrio. Winner of the Iconic Awards 2021 – Innovative Architecture in the categories “Public / Culture / Education” and “Innovative Material” for the project intervention at the Royal Museums of Turin, as well as special mention at the international German Design Award 2022.
