A microclimatic island (and more) will transform MAXXI into a sustainable oasis

The “sustainable MAXXI” project is much more than a set of interventions to mitigate the environmental impact of the National Museum of XXI Century Arts in Romebecause, in experimenting with new solutions to achieve the carbon neutralitythe architects, the technicians, the administrators of the Foundation are giving life to a real laboratory of innovation. She was Giovanna Melandriduring his presidency from 2012 to 2022, to want the green challenge to be at the heart of his “Grande MAXXI” project, a challenge that his successor, Alessandro Giuli, he embraced with conviction. “It is an important challenge that imagines the Museum in the coming years through the expansion of its spaces and its cultural contents – says the new president – An ambitious project, which arises after the transformations, evolution, research and results of the more than ten years after the opening of the Maxxi. Overall, it will be an opportunity for a profound redefinition of the external spaces as well, with coordinated interventions aimed at mitigating the building’s environmental impact thanks to the inclusion of sustainable technologies, the creation of a microclimate island and a new axis of urban greenery aimed at the neighborhood and the city of Rome”.

To indicate the continuity in the MAXXI environmental project is the confirmation of the architect Margaret Guccione as director of the “Progetto Grande MAXXI”. It is she who explains some of the innovations to achieve the carbon neutrality through “a job that put all the museum’s activity under observation“. An example above all: technicians are looking for new solutions for exhibition setupsin order to recycle the panels and essential elements for the exhibitionsthe. “All the materials with which we create the temporary structures – says Guccione – were previously sent to landfills, but now we keep them in warehouses and plan the new programs in order to reuse them. This way we have multi-level savings, both in terms of ecological footprint , both financial”.

Recycle and reuse are just two of the interventions with which the “sustainable MAXXI” project takes shape. The museum is in fact a candidate to become a prototype in the use of photovoltaics on monumental architecture With the’self-production of green energy, which will cover a third of the requirement. Another part of the production will take place through theestablishment of an energy community in collaboration with the Ministry of Defence, owner of the barracks adjacent to the MAXXI.

They will come later the methane gas boilers have been eliminated and all light sources will be reconverted to LED technology. To generate a circular economy system, in addition to the recycling and reuse of the displays, the rainwater recovery. “Once again, however – underlines Guccione – it was important to question working methods that we took for granted and to rethink behavior within the museum, for example for the use of energy”.

It’s a way of thinking that allows designers to experiment with materials: “One of the biggest challenges is that of photovoltaic panels – continues Guccione – because we are looking for methods of intervention of great architectural quality. So we decided not to superimpose standard photovoltaic panels on the structure, but to look for experimental products: for the adjacent buildings, which have tiled roofs, we thus found photovoltaic tiles identical to the traditional ones. We will have a slightly lower production, but useful for producing a portion of the energy we consume. Even if there won’t be a draw, our experimentation will give a contribution to researchwill be important for the ecological transition of historic centres”.

Not only is the architectural quality sought, but also the artistic result. “Another avenue of research – says Guccione – is to integrate the photovoltaic on the concrete beams that design the roof of the MAXXI, and since they are not visible from below, but with the spread of drones we also have to worry about the view from above; among other things we are experimenting on a large area of ​​the tunnel, which has a flat roof, artistic interventions with colored photovoltaic panels. The “panels-brushes” will be used to conceive a work of art capable of producing clean energy. Thus, with all the planned interventions, the museum will offer a catalog of possible solutions, demonstrating that a conscious use of technology is fundamental for the quality of the urban landscape of the future”.

The fulcrum of the “sustainable MAXXI” is the strip of equipped urban green along the axis of via Masaccio. This green backdrop, which will connect all the open spaces of the Museum, will be usable by the public and will be a sort of open-air gallery, with site-specific interventions by artists and landscapers, landscape design workshops, productive and sustainable urban gardens, educational gardens for a new environmental awareness. “The project developed by the landscape architect Bas Smets – observes the architect – has highly innovative characteristics and is based on a concept of greenery that is not only aesthetic, but above all environmental and aims to create a microclimatic island that mitigates heat waves through demineralization and the planting of trees, capable of shading and cooling the surfaces. The current image of MAXXI is linked to concrete, the inclusion of greenery will produce great environmental well-being for the benefit of the museum’s public. L’microclimate island will be able to lower the temperature by up to 4 degrees”.

The Grande MAXXI project is supported by various grants. “We presented the project a year ago, approved and appreciated by the Ministry of Culture. Our overall cost estimate is 40 million euros, of which 15 will come precisely from the Mic; the Ministry of Infrastructure will finance us for another 20 million for urban regeneration and 2 million in PNRR for accessibility. Now we try to involve private resourcesthe construction times will not go beyond 2026″.

Guccione underlines that the ambitious project of the Maxxi is also possible thanks to its organization as a foundation: “Maxxi has created a specific office – he concludes – with architects, technicians and administrative experts, because there is a significant part of management and reporting in the project. We have awareness, as a cultural institution, of our responsibility to give a signal towards sustainability. This is why it is important in our project to create an energy community with the nearby barracks and neighborhood schools: from this point of view, calculating how much we will save in energy costs becomes secondary to the fact of being able to create relationships with the territory, qualifying ourselves as a museum at its service and developing a new mentality“.