Centrale dell’Acqua. A new museum on public water opens in Milan

The new “Centrale dell’Acqua”, splendid example of proto-rationalism and Milanese liberty, has opened in via Cenisio, close to other historical places such as the Monumental Cemetery, Fabbrica del Vapore or Fonderia Battaglia.

Started in 1906 on a project by the engineer Franco Minorini, one of the oldest pumping stations of the urban aqueduct is now the first space entirely dedicated to public water. Designed by FUD and DEGW, both business units of the Lombardini22 group, the current Centrale is the result of the union of two elements, architecture and water, that make it a liquid, transparent, contemporary and connected place.

Five features are represented by five different paths. The reception is halfway between the “solid state” of the building and the “liquid one” of the pumps in the central hall. Then there is the library for meeting and consultations; the hall, the central nucleus of the ancient system in which, with a VR viewer, the visitor can immerse in the original activity of the station. Galleries, mezzanines and gangways are designed to host exhibitions and temporary installations, while high-tech devices, symbolic of the “gaseous state”, amplify the user experience. An experiential and multifunctional place where history, territory, architecture and innovation are integrated in order to sensitize and inform about the importance of water as a primary asset and an essential element for urban development. To make the environment a source of surprise, inspiration and dialogue with the community.

All this happens in a fine play of colors: the blue of the logo, patterns and furniture; the red of the hexagonal tiles on the floor that recall the brick of the facade; the luminous white of the walls and the immense windows, and the dark gray of the “liberty” wrought iron. The pure essence of Milan, of its balance, its industriousness, that looks towards future.