The House of Prada

The sprawling centre, which encompasses 19,000 square metres, is a combination of modern and historic architecture. A 20th century gin distillery, including its warehouses, laboratories and brewing silos, has been renovated as part of the project.

‘The Fondazione is not a preservation project and not new architecture,’ says Rem Koolhaas. ‘Two conditions that are usually kept separate here confront each other in a state of permanent interaction – offering an ensemble of fragments that will not congeal into a single image, or allow any part to dominate the others.’

New structures include a museum space for temporary exhibitions, a cinema and Torre, a 10-storey permanent exhibition space. The centre will also house Bar Luce, a café designed by film director Wes Anderson, which takes visual cues from Milan’s Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II.

The Big Picture: Luxury brands such as Prada are becoming more actively involved in cultural spaces and are championing the arts. Read our feature on La Fondation Louis Vuitton to learn more.