Young Architects Program International

The 2014 MAXXI YAP winning installation is 8 1/2, by the Roman architectural collective orizzontale. A timber podium and a translucent wall 28 feet (eight-and-a-half meters) tall and made of recycled beer kegs will provide both a stage for summer events and a relaxing space for visitors. The wall and its cantilevered fabric awnings create a comfortable area protected from harsh sun, inviting people to rest, play, watch, and listen. Water will spring from the side of the installation along the entrance path to the museum, while comfortable seating islands will be scattered on the west side of the wall. At night, the translucent wall becomes a pixelated light source with which MAXXI can convey messages to its visitors. Both solid and diaphanous, the structure aims to establish an intense relation with the public space of the museum and with the movement of people in the surrounding plaza.