MAXXI NXT Pavilion in Rome,
designed by Giorgia Colombo Architetto, Grazzini Tonazzini
In the spring of 2024, the courtyard of Rome's MAXXI museum was enriched with a new, unusual structure. The MAXXI NXT pavilion, designed by two architectural studios, Giorgia Colombo Architetto and Grazzini Tonazzini, is an installation entitled Quintessenza - an ephemeral, sensual space, designed for summer museum events, but functioning on multiple levels simultaneously: as scenography, as architecture, as experience. The team of architects drew on the concept of the fifth element, ether, to create a place that balances form and feeling.
MAXXI NXT pavilion in Rome
© Grazzini Tonazzini + Giorgia Colombo Architetto
architecture between form and idea
The project originated as the winning proposal in a competition organized by MAXXI, and from the outset envisioned functioning at the intersection of art and architecture. Although temporary and small in scale, Quintessenza acts as a highly concentrated structure in which every material, every detail and every direction of view matters. The pavilion not only complements the museum's courtyard space, but also enters into a direct dialogue with it - both physically and symbolically.
MAXXI NXT pavilion in Rome - shiny material gains new meanings through light
© Grazzini Tonazzini + Giorgia Colombo Architetto
from the outside: rhythm and scenography
The pavilion's main form is based on a sequence of vertical screens of galvanized corrugated sheet metal, arranged in a manner reminiscent of a theatrical stage set. The material - crude, technical - acquires new meanings thanks to light: its iridescent surfaces reflect the surroundings, creating a changing play of reflections, reminiscent of moonlight. The entire structure fits into the existing geometry of the museum's courtyard, taking into account the view axes and relations with neighboring buildings. From the street, the structure appears closed and impenetrable - almost monolithic. However, two precisely cut entrances in the thickness of the metal shell lead to a completely different world. It's an architectural gesture that deliberately builds tension between the building's external image and its internal function.
The MAXXI NXT pavilion in Rome - a sketch of the building.
© Grazzini Tonazzini + Giorgia Colombo Architetto
inside: a space of experience
The interior of the pavilion was designed as an open but protected space - something between a courtyard and a stage. The focal point is a shallow reservoir of water with fountains, which serves both an aesthetic and utilitarian function: in summer it becomes a place to play, to cool down, and a mirror to reflect the surrounding structures. The metallic surfaces amplify the sounds, enhancing the feeling of being immersed in the space. This is accompanied by mobile metal stools - simple in form, but allowing the space to be freely configured according to current needs.
MAXXI NXT pavilion in Rome
© Grazzini Tonazzini + Giorgia Colombo Architetto
The shade cast by the structure, as well as the crowns of the existing poplar trees, create a pleasant microclimate. The space acts on the senses - the coolness of metal, the splash of water, the echo of footsteps - but also creates conditions for concentration, observation or participation in events. The pavilion does not have a single function - its openness makes it whatever the visitor happens to need.
MAXXI NXT Pavilion in Rome - the centerpiece is a shallow body of water with fountains
© Grazzini Tonazzini + Giorgia Colombo Architetto
construction and ephemerality
The building was intentionally constructed with materials that can be dismantled and reused, and its ephemerality is one of the strongest elements of the design. The pavilion does not compete with the monumentality of the MAXXI building - instead, it proposes something quite different: an architectural form that lives only for a moment, but in that moment contains the fullness of expression.
The MAXXI NXT Pavilion in Rome - the building does not define itself by function - it is not a classical building, an exhibition pavilion or a gallery
© Grazzini Tonazzini + Giorgia Colombo Architetto
architecture as a platform of potential
The project by Giorgia Colombo Architetto and Grazzini Tonazzini is not only a formal proposal, but also a statement about the role of architecture in the modern world. The building is not defined by its function - it is not a classical building, an exhibition pavilion or a gallery. It is a structure open to interpretation and change, a stage on which events are yet to happen. It can serve as a backdrop for performances, a space for relaxation, a meeting place - but none of these functions are permanently assigned. At a time of increasing emphasis on adaptability, sustainable thinking about materials and reducing environmental footprints, pavilions such as this one offer an alternative model for performance. They are not about sustainability strictly speaking, but about intensity of experience and conscious design of time of presence in public space.
The MAXXI NXT pavilion in Rome - the structure was intentionally built with materials that can be dismantled and reused
© Grazzini Tonazzini + Giorgia Colombo Architetto
between modernism and experimentation
Although the form of the building may seem completely contemporary, it conceals references to the modernist tradition. The clarity of the divisions, the rhythmicity of the facade, the control of light and shadow - these are elements familiar from 20th century architecture, here transformed and set in a completely new context. The minimalism of the surroundings - gravel paths, single trees, economy of means - contrasts with the richness of sensory experience inside the pavilion. From this combination is born a design that is balanced but not obvious. At once modest and expressive, closed and open, industrial and sensual. Quintessenza is not an answer to the question of what temporary architecture should be - it is rather a proposal to ask new questions.
Elaborated: Anastazja Dżupina
Illustrations provided courtesy of the studio of Giorgia Colombo Architetto, Grazzini Tonazzini.
