FuturDome, Milan, Italy
The house of creativity

The Liberty Palace building in the Loreto district of Milan had a rich history as an icon of futurism. Constructed in the art nouveau style in 1913, the house was one of the most refined in its surrounding and soon became a meeting point of the city’s futurist artists. After losing its glory in post-war Italy and the wear-and-tear of the last decades, the ISISUF (International Institute of Futurism Studies) took up the task of refurbishment. The plan of the institute’s artistic director and architect Atto Belloli Ardessi was to create a new home for Futurism, containing residential, creative and exhibition spaces for artists – and form a highly innovative living museum of its own.

When history meets innovation: Facing a historic and highly valued building, it was decided to make as few changes to the exterior as possible and to concentrate work on the interior. Here the internal layout of the building was redesigned using innovative drywall technology from Knauf. The outcome was a structure with living quarters for artists as well as large terraces, communal areas, customisable working spaces and exhibition areas.

Especially in the exhibition areas AQUAPANEL^® Cement Board Outdoor became part of some pieces of art, for example when the boards provided the foundation of wall-mounted exhibits that combined modern forms with pieces of ethno-art.

But there were many more applications where innovative drywall technology proved useful. For example the inner courtyard, which was clad with AQUAPANEL^® Cement Board Outdoor, before numerous evergreen plants were hung directly onto it. The 100% water-resistant boards played out their advantages with regard to mould and mildew resistance. And when slight alterations to the façade were needed, AQUAPANEL^® Cement Board Outdoor was the best choice to create strong, robust, and highly impact-resistant walls. And also exterior ceilings could be realised with an especially lightweight and at the same time extremely resilient material: AQUAPANEL^® Cement Board SkyLite – a special ceiling solution that combines design flexibility and ease of handling.

After the successful premier of the first exhibition the message of the FuturDome became clear: Outstanding creativity breaks up conventions. There are no limits to artistic imaginations. The new FuturDome of Milan is more than a beautifully refurbished historic building – it is an extraordinary demonstration of what is possible today, in art and architecture as well.