Set upon a panoramic plateau in the ancient district of Sardinia’s capital city will soon sit the Cagliari Galerie Comunale D’Art’s new extension. Our concept formulates a network of separate but interconnected “clusters” that unfold, open and invite museum visitors inside. Single-height exhibition spaces are anchored by four clusters, each with an adjoining sculpture garden. Gallery volumes and arrangements were inspired by seminal works within the museum’s permanent collection, including ancient bronze and marble statues and works by the late Renaissance painter Pietro Cavaro. The museum extension is designed to complete the cultural complex while preserving centenary trees and visually opening to the ancient fortified wall and city beyond. Simple, primitive forms and local materials reflect a Sardinian sensibility, while the gesture of breaking up the new museum into discreet volumes transforms the simple cluster of galleries into an architecture that is at once contextual and abstract.

TYPE: Cultural, Museum Extension
LOCATION: Cagliari, Sardinia, Italia
STATUS: 2012-, Competition In Procedure
AREA: 12,000 m2
CLIENT: City Of Cagliari
VISUALIZER: PAR
ARCHITECT: PAR: Jennifer Marmon, Partner in Charge; Ross Ferrari, Project Architect; Matthew Young, Doy Laufer Cruz, Yen Vo, Jessica De Vries, Ryan Fagre, Cory Ringo, Reza Hadian, James Hwangbo, Bowen Wu