Carbon-Fibre Fantasies
International design office, Carlo Ratti Associati, and acclaimed Italian architect, Italo Rota, have revealed recently a design for the MAE Museum, a museum promoting and celebrating the wonder of carbon fibre. Yep, you certainly read that right. To be located in Piacenza, Italy, it will be built largely from new and recycled (you guessed it) carbon fibre, the exhibition will utilise the wonder of robotics to guide visitors through the world’s largest collection of fibre technology.
Carbon-fibre has many uses, and the museum is set to explore the history and future, from post-war European clothing to the latest and greatest break-throughs in engineering research. And it’s going to be kooky, like the entrance doors which open like a curtain, complete with a zip. Starting in the first section, the visitors will be welcomed into a light-filled room, filled to the brim with old documents and photographs for the visitors to sit and peruse. Down a long, narrow corridor, guests can see the process by which acrylic fibre is made and produced. This part of the museum is dedicated to the use of the material in industry and includes an immersive installation to explore the experimental application of carbon fibre.
This weirdly awesome museum thrives on the design of cultural spaces with the concept of circularity in architecture. And there is just something kind of fitting in the way that it weaves everything together. That was a carbon-fibre joke right there by the way.