Previous 
New Exit of the Medici Chapels Museum, Florence
Arch. Paolo Zermani (Zermani Associati)
We are proud to have contributed to the realization of the New Exit of the Medici Chapels Museum in Florence, a project of the highest historical and artistic value, winner of the international competition and designed by Studio Zermani Associati, led by Prof. Arch. Paolo Zermani, with the essential contribution of Arch. Eugenio Tessoni.
The context is one of the most precious in the world: the concluding space of the museum visit, which culminates beneath Brunelleschi’s splendid New Sacristy, guardian of the Medici funeral monuments sculpted by Michelangelo. A place where architecture dialogues with centuries of art history.
The Concept: Light and Memory in Rapolano Travertine
The project by architects Zermani and Tessoni has successfully interpreted the monumentality of the place with a contemporary, precise and discreet language. The central idea is the image of an uncovered sarcophagus, whose top, removed and laid alongside, transforms into an evocative seating area in the square.
As described by Studio Zermani:
“In the square, the seating, almost like a removed cover or overturned tombstone, contributes to involving the historic buildings placed at the perimeter and the space of the contemporary city in the dialectic proposed by the ancient fabric of San Lorenzo, its Museum, its funeral Chapels. Made of Rapolano Travertine with a matte surface, the artifacts, while establishing their own formal autonomy and strong identifiability, dialogue with discretion, also in scale, with the great volumes of the Church, the New Sacristy, the Princes’ Chapel, mediating their connection with the street, the market, the minor buildings, daily life.”
The Pietre di Rapolano Supply: Two Materials, One Integration
Our collaboration with Prof. Zermani, Arch. Tessoni and their team began immediately after the competition award, focused on the search for local materials with colors and textures that could dialogue with the ancient Florentine context. The supply was strategically divided into two key components, each with a specific material.
1. The New Exit Block and the Seating (Travertine)
During the site inspections in Rapolano, our selection of Travertine PDR022 Terra Toscana was chosen for the realization of the sculptural block and the seating in the square.
We collaborated in the development of the executive project, defining:
- The dimensioning of the large slabs and their finishes.
- The support system for the volumes that constitute the main exit element from the museum.
2. The Elevator Tower Cladding (Pietra Serena)
For the cladding of the existing steel elevator, the requirement was to find a solution that would mediate between the modernity of the structure and the historicity of the surrounding walls. The choice fell on aged and oxidized Pietra Serena.
On this element as well, our contribution was decisive: we developed the technical solution defining the type of stone, the cutting and the complex anchoring systems necessary to clad the tower, ensuring harmonious and lasting integration.
This project represents an excellent example of how our experience in supply and technical consulting can support the most ambitious visions, ensuring the perfect integration of local materials, such as Rapolano Travertine and Pietra Serena, in a historical context of inestimable value.
Project References
“Medici factory, San Lorenzo has always preserved and transmitted to Florence, in the church, in the library and in the tombs, a living memory.”
Designer:
- Zermani Associati
Paolo Zermani, Eugenio Tessoni
Collaborators: Gabriele Bartocci, Rocio Fernandez Lorca. - Email: info@zermaniassociati.it
- Tel: +39 0521 230 222
- Project page
