Product Type
Application Area
Lighting Effect
Product Type
Application Area
Lighting Effect

The Alfa Romeo Museum

About Project


In 2015 the Alfa Romeo Museum in Arese was completely renovated and reopened to the public with a new  layout that reflects Alfa Romeo's distinctive DNA. The Alfa Romeo Head Offices redevelopment project was triggered by the need to redesign the structure of the rooms and visitor flows that were originally designed for the museum by the brothers Vito and Gustavo Latis and opened on December 18th 1976. The original museum structure - a small building divided into 6 staggered mezzanine floors – was built next to the Head Office Complex in Arese and was therefore inside the factory, which limited access to the collection. After production was closed down, in 2011 the museum was closed to visitors completely. So starting from the need to maintain the original layout of the complex, the main goal of the Camerana “Partners” redevelopment project was to restyle its architecture to suit its new functions. Together with the local Landmark Preservation authorities, a design based on a graft principle was developed in which the new forms and functions are indicative of a contemporary design that is set into the original 1960s architecture. 
 
The building which is just a few kilometres away from Milan and the Expo area, also stands out for the addition of a red structure that runs right through the complex, from the canopy over the visitors’ entrance,  through the entrance and right up to the start of the exhibition trail and the important architectural feature of  the new escalator. The latter, which can be seen from the motorway is painted “Alfa red”, and is the symbol of the rebirth of the museum: a modern streak set into the 1970s architecture to create a link between past and present.  The essence of the brand has been condensed into three main theme areas: Timeline, demonstrating its industrial continuity; Beauty, its unique style and design; and Speed, its combination of technology and lightness. Each theme has been given an entire floor, and to light all these floors a special product has been used: the Laser Blade System 53 with Laser Blade High Contrast and Low Contrast modules, modified with a special attachment device that allows a standard track to be included. The track is fitted with DALI Palco spotlights focused on the vehicles and items on display. This journey through the legend of this great company ends with an entertaining and spectacular finale, called the “bolle emozionali” or emotional bubbles. This installation offers an Alfa Romeo experience through virtual reality film footage and a cinema where visitors can sit in interactive armchairs and enjoy 4D films dedicated to Alfa Romeo’s legendary successes. In this area the Laser Blade System 53 has been used without spotlights. Right in the heart of  the museum, there is also a luminous installation, a transparent cylinder that stretches up through all the  museum floors, depicting Alfa Romeo’s DNA in an explosion of light and words. This very special product was developed by iGuzzini in collaboration with the FCA Style Centre, and to create it, both the extruded  aluminium mechanical structure of the Underscore luminaire was modified and its LEDs to create a  descending helical “flight effect” with rapid light movements.
 
This light sculpture is controlled by a DMX Master Pro Evo management system. Inside the huge cylinder are the names of all the cars that have made the name Alfa Romeo great, lit by ground-mounted Linealuce luminaires, which therefore light an area of about 12 metres in height.  As far as the outdoor lighting is concerned, Wow products have been used to light the connecting road and Linealuce luminaires to light the Alfa Romeo logo mounted on the top of the building. Underscore InOut luminaires have also been used to graphically outline the exterior profile of the Jeep showroom. The latest Jeep model, displayed outside, is lit by Miniwoody floodlights with both flood and spot optics to spectacularly highlight the brand on the side of the car. 

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  • Year:
    2015
  • Client:
    Alfa Romeo
  • Architectural project:
    Studio Camerana & Partners
  • Lighting project:
    E.L. Engineering