Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo’s Turin Headquarters and Centre for Contemporary Art is situated in Via Modane, in an ex-industrial area of the city, formerly occupied by the old Fergat factory that produced wheel rims for the car industry. The Fondazione purchased the rights to this land from the Turin City Council for a period of 99 years. The rectangular-shaped building is 133 metres long, 21 metres wide and 9 metres high, occupying a surface of 3,500 square metres. The building, designed by London based architect Claudio Silvestrin “presents itself to the city in a long, silent form, recalling the timeless ‘being’ of simple, light, rigorous architecture” (C.Silvestrin), an ideal container for contemporary art exhibitions: from the movement and installation of the works to the ease of access and route-finding for the public.
The building was planned as a neutral space where artists could work freely, without any visual conflict or distraction caused by the surrounding architecture, as well as being highly versatile, allowing the creation and installation of large-scale works. The materials used also further underline the essential, simple nature of the architecture, such as the Lecce stone used for the external structure.
Apart from the main exhibition space, the Turin Centre (opened on 18 September 2002) also has a special project room for video installations and small-scale exhibitions as well as an educational department for courses and workshops. The main offices are also situated in the building and there is an extensive design and book shop area, selling art books, magazines and catalogues, design items and artist editions.
The 144-seat auditorium is fully equipped with the latest audiovisual technology and Spazio, the centre’s cafeteria, was designed by the artist Rudolf Stingel.
The Spazio restaurant is situated on the first floor, where visitors can view works by Amadeo Martegani and Julian Opie.