M9 Museum in Mestre,
designed by Sauerbruch Hutton
In the heart of Mestre, a Venetian neighborhood often overshadowed by the splendor of the historic center, a project has emerged that revitalizes the urban landscape and redefines the role of architecture in shaping contemporary culture. M9 - Museum of the 20th Century - designed by Berlin-based studio Sauerbruch Hutton, was erected on the site of a former monastery and military complex, giving the neighborhood a new character. It's also a fascinating story about color as a design tool, a carrier of meaning and an impetus that breathed life into the neighborhood.
M9 museum in Mestre, Venice - bird's eye view
photo by Alessandra Chemollo © Sauerbruch Hutton
dd of the monastery wall to the open city
M9 is not a single building, but a complex that was built on the site of a former monastery and military complex that for decades was inaccessible to residents. Today, through a precisely designed sequence of spaces and a new transportation structure, the area has gained the status of an open, multifunctional cultural district. The museum and its surroundings are becoming not only a place to display history, but also a space for everyday urban life - with cafes, plazas, events and social functions.
Of particular importance is the social role of this project in the context of Mestre itself - a neighborhood that, although administratively part of Venice, is radically different from it in terms of identity, scale and the realities of daily life. It is here that an ethnically diverse community lives, often lacking common reference points. This is where M9 becomes a tool for integration - creating an inclusive space that fosters neighborhood relationships, joint participation in cultural, educational and social events. The institution's program, designed with a wide audience in mind, responds to local needs and encourages active co-creation of the urban community. Here, architecture becomes a framework for community action, and the museum district becomes a place where cultural diversity gains real opportunities for resonance and coexistence.
M9 museum in Mestre, Venice - aerial drawing
© Sauerbruch Hutton
architecture in the rhythm of color
The massing of M9's main building attracts attention with its expressive, rhythmic facade, which is dominated by bands of red, pink, white and gray. These horizontal bands are arranged in a dynamic, almost pulsating pattern, emphasizing the undulating geometry of the exterior wall. It is color - not as decoration, but as a consciously worked-out medium of space - that here becomes a tool for organizing perception. The body itself, based on an elongated, plan view, gives the impression of lightness, despite the concrete structure. The minimalist, austere base contrasts with the expressive upper part, creating an architecture that is clear in structure but complex in perception.
M9 Museum in Mestre, Venice - in this project, color becomes a carrier of content
photo by Alessandra Chemollo © Sauerbruch Hutton
The plan of the building was adapted to the existing buildings - the irregular, polygonal shape resembling the letter "L" results from the need to blend in with the historical surroundings. The sculpted form with a clearly separated central body and diverging wings indicates internal functional differentiation. The interiors - both closed and semi-open - are organized around a courtyard and a newly created square, becoming part of a wider system of public spaces. The building does not dominate - it co-creates, adds to, complements.
M9 Museum in Mestre, Venice - integrating a former monastery structure with a new cultural fabric shows how contemporary architecture can weave the continuity of a city
photo by Alessandra Chemollo © Sauerbruch Hutton
matter as a carrier of meaning
In Sauerbruch Hutton's design, every material carries meaning - not only technical, but also symbolic. The building's facade was made of ceramic panels. The process of designing the facade was long and precise: colors were selected based on NCS - a color order system based on human perception of color, and the effects of firing and glazing tests were treated as an equal part of the creation. The palette of seventeen shades - ranging from deep reds to cool grays - was created by combining the color of the ceramic mass with a transparent or semi-transparent glaze, the thickness and method of application of which influenced the final shade.
The color scheme refers to the local context: to the colors of brick, plaster, and traditional cocciopesto, or Venetian lime plaster with crushed brick. In this way, the facade becomes, as it were, a reflection of the site's history filtered through the present - a record of its substance, culture, and memory.
M9 Museum in Mestre, Venice
© Sauerbruch Hutton
technology in the service of narrative
M9 is not a museum in the traditional sense. It's a completely digital place - permanent exhibitions are presented in black boxes (aka black boxes), where traditional exhibits are replaced by interactive installations and projections. Temporary exhibitions, on the other hand, are located on the top floor - in a bright, open space illuminated through a glass roof. The whole creates a flexible, modern set of exhibition spaces, ready for constant changes and program development.
At the same time, the architects made sure that technology did not overshadow the space. Public spaces, cafes, venues and the auditorium were designed with natural materials: trachite, architectural concrete, beech wood. The interiors and exterior passageways blend seamlessly, creating an environment that is welcoming but not ephemeral. The gravity of 20th century history - full of contradictions, tensions and transformations - is told here in a modern but contextually embedded language.
M9 Museum in Mestre, Venice - interiors and exteriors flow seamlessly together to create a welcoming environment
photo by Alessandra Chemollo © Sauerbruch Hutton
contemporary cultural district
A significant element of M9's success is its location and integration with the city. Thanks to a well-thought-out urban layout and the breaking down of the museum functions into several buildings, the effect of monumentalism, typical of this type of institution, has been avoided. In the new space the user does not feel like a guest - he is a participant. The architecture does not overwhelm, but invites exploration: squares, alleys, courtyards. The area, which was closed for more than a century, today has become a living part of Mestre.
It is worth noting the composition of the entire complex. In addition to the main museum, the ensemble is made up of reconstructed buildings of former stables, a rebuilt monastery and pre-existing structures - the converted church of Santa Maria delle Grazie and a post-war office building. The district was created from what was, and from what could be added, not by destroying, but by transforming.
M9 museum in Mestre, Venice - interior view
photo by Alessandra Chemollo © Sauerbruch Hutton
color that builds space
M9 is an example of architecture that builds value through precision, attentiveness and dialogue. Color here becomes not an accessory, but a tool that organizes the space, rhythmizing the facades while opening the building to the city. The pattern of ceramic stripes - while striking - is not for decoration, but expresses architectural thinking about place, context and history.
Elaborated: Anastazja Dżupina
Illustrations provided courtesy of Sauerbruch Hutton studio .
