Padiglione d'Arte Contemporanea
The Padiglione d'Arte Contemporanea stands in Milan beside the Villa Reale, combining contemporary exhibition spaces with neoclassical surroundings. Ignazio Gardella designed the building between 1951 and 1953, using the trapezoidal footprint of wartime-destroyed stables.
Fernanda Wittgens commissioned the project, which preserves the former stables’ two-storey height and rectangular service courtyard. Mercedes Garberi modernised the facilities in the 1970s, while Jacopo Gardella rebuilt them after a fire nearly destroyed the building in 1993. Copper-covered trusses and skylights give the roof an industrial character, while metal pillars and a glass façade shape the rebuilt south side.
Inside, large windows illuminate the sculpture gallery with shifting shadows, while indirect lighting softens the hexagonal galleries. Marble covers busy passageways, and wood marks quieter spaces. Wheelchair access adds practical ease to a building where metal, glass and natural light shape the visitor’s experience.
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