New Schifanoia Museum | QB atelier

museum layout of palazzo schifanoia Ferrara / Italy / 2021

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Housed within Palazzo Schifanoia, a Renaissance-era landmark in Ferrara, Italy, a UNESCO World Heritage site, the Schifanoia Museum features a new exhibition design by QB Atelier (Filippo Govoni and Federico Orsini) that seamlessly combines respect for the historical context with contemporary and functional solutions. The exhibition pathway has been designed to highlight the collection and ensure barrier-free access for all visitors, integrating modern elements that engage in dialogue with the historic architecture. The architectural project introduces a series of carefully designed display systems, furnishings, and spatial devices with simple and precise geometries. These elements guide visitors through spaces that have been restored following damage caused by the 2012 earthquake. Distinctive areas, such as the Salone dei Mesi and the Borsian Wing, have been unified to offer a modern, extensive museum experience. Today, the museum spans 21 rooms, covering 1,400 square meters of exhibition space, and showcases approximately 250 works, supplemented by multimedia features that help narrate the building's history, including virtual reconstructions of its various construction phases. The exhibition elements designed by QB Atelier address the need to offer the museum's diverse and rich collection. The display cases are part of a modular system capable of generating numerous solutions with a limited set of elements. This modular system is complemented by tailored light supports, meticulously crafted for each artwork. All display structures feature a dark bronze color — a chromatic homage to the original elements of the palace. Beyond optimizing the presentation of the artworks, these contemporary devices serve as technical infrastructures, enhancing the appreciation of the palace itself while flexibly adapting to the needs of each room. Carefully designed lighting, both natural and artificial, contributes to creating a contemplative and cohesive atmosphere that enhances both the architecture and the exhibited works. The entire intervention, executed within a remarkably tight budget, has restored a balanced relationship between the various parts of the building while addressing the unique characteristics of each space, the existing infrastructure, and earlier restoration efforts undertaken in the 1990s within the 14th-century wing. Since replacing the existing systems with more adaptable ones was not feasible, lightweight and minimally invasive solutions were adopted. For instance, the open and flexible display case system not only illuminates the objects it contains but also highlights the decorated rooms’ ceilings throughout the late Renaissance sections of the building. With support from European funds for accessibility improvements, the museum has further increased its accessibility. The interventions, promoted by the Municipality of Ferrara and supported by the European Union’s NextGenerationEU program, have made the museum accessible on multiple levels — physical, cultural, cognitive, and sensory. Measures include the removal of architectural barriers, pathway adjustments, staff training, and the introduction of inclusive digital tools. QB Atelier’s design for the Schifanoia Museum stands as a model for museum interventions in historically significant contexts. Founded in Ferrara in 2010 by Filippo Govoni and Federico Orsini, QB Atelier is known for its artisanal sensibility, continuous experimentation, and a deep understanding of the conditions and potential that shape new architecture. In recent years, QB Atelier has won significant competitions, including the design of 36 public housing units in Rimini, the green revitalization of the Parco delle Mura di San Benedetto in Padua, and the redevelopment of Piazza del Travaglio in Ferrara (in collaboration with FèRiMa and Espace Libre), which is set to begin soon. These achievements, along with numerous completed works, highlight the studio’s ability to reinterpret existing heritage with care and sensitivity, creating architectures that engage in a meaningful dialogue with contemporary needs.


Curated by the Municipality of Ferrara, Italy


Department of Culture, Museums, Historic Monuments, and


Ferrarese Civilization, UNESCO – Marco Gulinelli


Art Museums Service – Manager: Ethel Guidi


Department of Sports, Public Works, Urban Planning, and Urban


Regeneration – Andrea Maggi


Historic Monuments Service – Manager: Natascia Frasson


With the contribution of the Emilia-Romagna Region, Museum Plan


2020 – Regional Law 18/2000


Museum Design


Giovanni Sassu, Head of Ancient Art Museums Unit, and Maria


Teresa Gulinelli, Curator of the Archaeological and Numismatic


Collections of the Ancient Art Museums


Exhibition Design and Construction Supervision


QB Atelier


Filippo Govoni


Federico Orsini


Consultancy on Methods and Exhibition Techniques


Lucia Angelini, Fondazione Ferrara Arte


Project Management Support


Rossella Bizzi, Servizio Beni Monumentali


Graphic Concept


Rossella Merighi, Fondazione Ferrara Arte


Editorial Team


Federica Sani, Servizio Musei d’Arte


Francesca Gavioli, Laura Quaggia, Fondazione Ferrara Arte


Lighting Design


Salone dei Mesi: Project by Studio Pasetti Lighting, Treviso. Lighting


technology by iGuzzini illuminazione


Borsian Wing and Display Cases: Illuminare Srl, Parma


Albertian Wing: Reggiani Spa Illuminazione, Sovico (MB)


Lighting Technician: Luca Mondin, Ferrara Arte Foundation


Exhibition Structures


Visual Srl, Bastiglia (MO); Contest Srl, Mirandola (MO)


Multimedia Services


Museum Interaction eXperience Srl e Tryeco 2.0 Srl, Ferrara


Suppliers and Collaborations


AR/S Archeosistemi Società Cooperativa, Reggio Emilia (RE) - supply and installation of interior curtains


Cinzia Bucchi, Copparo (FE) - construction works, painting


Eva Schicchi, Bologna: safety measures for decorated surfaces, frescoes, and ceilings of the noble floor in the Quattrocento Wing


New Energy Srl, Ferrara - completion of electrical systems


Tecnoelettrica Srl, Occhiobello (RO) - supply of lighting fixtures


Grafica 4.Zero Srls., Comacchio (FE) - supply and application of graphic materials


Contest Srl, Mirandola (MO) - supply and installation of integrated


floor structures in the Salone dei Mesi


Project Data


Area: 2.660 sqm


Total cost: 400.000 Euro


Timeline


Design (various phases): June 2017 – June 2021


Execution (various phases): January 2020 – October 2021

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    Housed within Palazzo Schifanoia, a Renaissance-era landmark in Ferrara, Italy, a UNESCO World Heritage site, the Schifanoia Museum features a new exhibition design by QB Atelier (Filippo Govoni and Federico Orsini) that seamlessly combines respect for the historical context with contemporary and functional solutions. The exhibition pathway has been designed to highlight the collection and ensure barrier-free access for all visitors, integrating modern elements that engage in dialogue with the...

    Project details
    • Year 2021
    • Work started in 2020
    • Work finished in 2021
    • Cost 400000 euro
    • Status Completed works
    • Type Museums / Interior Design / Custom Furniture / Art Galleries / Book shops
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