8.1.2025

The Schifanoia Museum in Ferrara

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.

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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.

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