MMM Messner Mountain Museum Roca | Plasma Studio

MMM Roca will be a conversion and revival of the old station which used to serve the cable car line running from Sesto up to Monte Elmo. Instead of a complicated demolition, the aesthetically sophisticated technical structure will be adapted to host an exhibition on the history of climbing. As part of the route through the museum, visitors will gain insights into the impressive technical components of the old cable car station. The building’s stunning views of the Dolomites will be framed to complete the museum’s narrative, in which the mountains are a central character.

Preserving the technical structure to protect the character of this architectural monument is a priority. Structural reinforcements and thermal components, such as a panorama façade with views of the surrounding mountains, will be added. Within the scope of an upcycling and recy- cling concept, demolished segments of the old building are being reused wherever possible, as the project owners aim to minimise demolition and disposal without reuse. Even in its new pur- pose of an exhibition space, the building will retain its rough, technical character.

At the same time, the project seeks to make the museum’s surroundings as tranquil as possible despite the many cable car mechanisms that are crammed into the building. The structure is intended to blend well into the landscape, and the main part of the old cable car station will be its visual centre. Smaller roof structures will be removed and replaced with a publicly accessible, spacious, landscaped roof.

With an existing technical structure being upcycled into an exhibition space and integrated into the topography, the MMM Roca on Monte Elmo project aims to do as little as possible and as much as necessary without compromising on confident architectural expression.