This project rises from the twofold requirement of:
- provide S.Michele Castle (a defensive outpost built during the 13th century) - recently restored and converted into a museum – with permanent exhibition fittings, capable to hold the 20th century figurative arts works periodically exposed in its halls and as much flexible as possible with regard to their layout options, yet bound by the obligation not to damage at all the existing walls and finishes,
- visually mitigate the overhanging metallic structural grid installed as a roof above the fortress’ inner yard during the recent reconversion works. The project answer consisted in conceiving a simple modular floating panel, almost covering the whole hall’s height, supported by concealed vertical metallic posts having extensible extremities which allow a firm clamping between floor and ceiling and do not leave any damaging mark when dismantled.
On the other side the tangle of the metallic covering structure has been partly obliterated thanks to a velarium consisting of modular pieces of fabric hooked to pivots fixed to the grid’s knots and equipped with stretching springs. The partial permeability to light of this velarium also allows to better diffuse the formerly direct illumination supplied by some of the existing lighting fixtures.