MAXXI: National Museum for the XXI Century Arts in Rome by Zaha Hadid Architects

The international technical review “Il Sole 24 Ore – Arketipo” use a typical process to communicate about the constructional issues of architectural projects. The author is part of the editorial staff of the review since its launch in 2006. Each project is presented through an introductory section, including a text explaining the architectural features, general plans, sections and pictures; an in-depth analysis of the building follows, including texts focussing on specific technical aspects – such as sustainability, structures and construction technologies – and detail drawings that are specially redrafted for the review. The elaboration of technical information for publication requires, first of all, the choice of two/three sections that are significant for the topic of the review (each issue is monographic about themes such as energy efficiency, structures, flexibility, etc.). The idea behind redrafting the construction drawings is to communicate synthetically to the reader the main technical aspects of the project, making the related choices (functional, aesthetic, technological, etc.) explicit. Detailed drawings are redrafted according to a specific graphic code aimed at highlighting the single layers constituting the building fabric; short descriptions explain the technical features of the layers. The typically heterogeneous materials coming from different specialists (architect, structural engineer, M&E engineer, etc.) is thus assembled into synthetic drawings that can be read from different points of view. In this example, the most interesting and innovative technological aspects of the construction of the MAXXI museum in Rome are presented. In particular: the new concrete 3-SC, the glass roof with the adjustable blades, the control system of natural light, the cantilevered ramps.