sculptural staircase connects the MSGSSS-renovated museum of modern art in buenos aires

argentinian studio MSGSSS architects has completed the renovation of the buenos aires museum of modern art (MAMBA), unifying two existing buildings with the aim of improving the experience of visitors and increasing the space for the exhibition of works. the project consists of generating a circulation path that joins the two structures, incorporating two new elevators, rest spaces, and meeting points in the new sculptural staircase that challenges the visitor with its different points of view and the contrast of its materials: iron, marble and mirrors.

all images by andrés negroni

MSGSSS architects integrated the complete structure of the moderno, the museum located on san juan ave., where the tobacco company nobleza piccardo once operated, and the building located on the corner of av. san juan y defensa, which belonged to the museo del cine. ─, whose facade was already completed in 2010, during the first stage of the building reform by arch. emilio ambasz. seven rooms with about 4000 sqm have been created to exhibit the museum’s heritage and the different national and international modern art exhibitions, while new meeting spaces that alternate with exhibition halls, a new education room, a cafeteria, and a new store on the ground floor have also added.

the main protagonist of the expansion, the new staircase, is composed of black parapets and generates a dynamic route that allows the rooms to be connected at all levels by means of sections that are superimposed. windows were also incorporated that allow natural light to enter the rooms and provide views of san telmo, integrating the neighborhood more into the life of the museum. on the outside, the idea of the green façade proposed in the ambasz project was respected in the previous building reform, by means of a tree-top finish and the presence of vegetation in the openings.