The ADI Design Museum , a new international center for design, was inaugurated by architects and designers Ico Migliore and Mara Servetto, professors of the Politecnico, together with Alumnus Italo Lupi , an icon of design made in Italy.
With more than 5000 square meters and about 2000 objects on display (the winning projects of the prestigious Compasso d'Oro from 1954 to today), it is the largest museum in Europe dedicated to this topic and its aimed at highlighting the role of the city of Milan as the international capital of Design.
The exhibition moves across 60 years of history of society and customs through a selection of objects, furniture, accessories, means of transport, posters, advertising or communication concepts. A "behind the scenes" of objects like sewing machines, cars, lamps, chairs, coffee makers that have now entered common use or will do so in the future (including the Smart bench signed by Alumnus Antonio Lanzillo) and "Hannes", the prosthetic hand able to restore over 90% of lost functionality in people with a limb amputation, signed by Lorenzo De Bartolomeis, Gabriele Diamanti and Filippo Poli, three Design Alumni).
«We have defined - explained Migliore, Servetto and Lupi, in turn winners of compassi d'oro - a rhythmic and articulated sequence of story rather than mere exhibition structures, to make the museum a “narrative museum”, capable of being an inclusive place for personal and social procurement and enrichment ». The goal is to enhance the Made in Italy and the role of the Compasso d'Oro award, born from the idea of the great Alumnus of Politecnico Gio Ponti, with an exhibition that talks about the past and the present and that will continue to evolve welcoming the new award-winning objects, in a sort of story of the world and society through design.
For the spaces of the Museum, a historic place from the 1930s was recovered, a former industrial area between via Ceresio and via Bramante, in the Porta Volta district, according to the project curated by the architects Giancarlo Perotta (also an Alumnus of the Polytechnic) and Massimo C Bodini.
Alongside the permanent exhibition, the museum hosts temporary in-depth studies and transversal initiatives aimed at the general public, to contribute to the dissemination and enhancement of the design culture at national and international level.
But, among its various firsts, there is also that of being the first Italian museum to connect to the idea of " city of 15 minutes" , an idea of a city that is more sustainable in terms of rhythms and relationship with the environment.
Not only an international museum but also, a neighborhood museum, easily accessible, with a role of aggregation on the territory: a place to meet, share experiences, building a community of interest rooted around culture and sustainability as an engine for redevelopment of neighborhoods, the reduction of pollution and the creation of socially and economically inclusive areas.
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