The Representation Of Formless Nature In Architecture, A ‘Grotto’ In Milano Natural History Museum | Architecture Thesis

Site Context

Given the ‘broken’ relationship between humanity and nature, and the growing attention to the environmental crisis, the museum now has the opportunity to incorporate multiple narratives and periodically reflect the evolving interpretations of nature.

The introduction of a new exhibition space opens up a different spatial and sensory experience, aiming to present nature in a more direct, immersive, and experiential way.

Design Process

Conceptual Framing: The illusionary desire to recreate nature as autonomous and untouched by human influence leads to simulations that, through the use of the formless—materials not yet shaped or defined by human intention—convey nature’s entropic character. These representations inhabit the threshold between the natural and the artificial, blurring the line between wilderness and civilization.

Grotto as Representation: This is exemplified by the use of rocaille, an aggregate material that imitates natural rock formations, by rustic decorative elements, and by the ‘grotto’, a constructed echo of the primal cave. The Grotta Grande of Boboli stages the generation of life from a fertile material, the poetics of the unfinished, and the problem of the boundary between form and material. The raw material in the unfinished collaborates as a mysterious reagent from which the architect extracts a form. “Being presses to come to light and pass from imperfection to maturity.” The process of creating a work of art increasingly comes to resemble the natural genesis and growth of a biological organism, eliminating the distance “between what is generated by nature and what is made by art.” (Varchi, 1549 in Lapi Ballerini, 1999)

Representation of the Formless: The expressive and representative theme, limited to the exhibition space of the new hall and the courtyard located on its extrados, has required a material investigation carried out through experiments attributable to different expressive strands. Here are reported the main attempts made on the ‘architectural’ material which, starting from the theme of the formless, seek a representative modality that can be expressed directly in the construction process.

Final Outcome

Building on the tradition that spans from rustic forms to the ‘grotto’, a mode of representing nature emerges that is rich in spiritual meaning, where the formlessness of architecture becomes a means of expressing nature in its ‘naturans’—actively generative—state. This entropic aspect of nature serves as a catalyst for alternative narratives within the museum, shifting focus away from isolated specimens toward contextual, interconnected experiences. The new exhibition space thus offers a unified, immersive environment, emphasizing holistic engagement over fragmented displays.

The expressive theme behind the new exhibition space and the courtyard above prompted a material exploration through experiments aligned with various expressive styles. Central to this investigation was the theme of the formless—an effort to identify a representational language that could emerge directly through the construction process itself, allowing material and form to evolve simultaneously.

The ‘grotto’ and the surrounding rocky garden reinterpret the rustico tradition, using material manipulation to evoke the essence of formless nature. By employing artificial techniques—such as corrugation, excavation, molding, and folding—these elements seek to capture nature’s raw imprint and reconstruct its image through crafted expression.

The demolition of the museum’s central section—made possible by relocating offices and research labs to the attic—unifies the two smaller courtyards into a single cohesive space, enclosed by the existing exhibition loop. In reworking the public areas, the project operates at times as an act of overwriting, and at others as a deliberate deformation, responding to specific traces and cues found within the existing architecture.

Conclusion: Ultimately, the project transforms the museum into an immersive space where nature is not just displayed but reimagined. Through material experimentation and sensitive architectural interventions, it bridges past traditions with new narratives of the natural world.

[This Academic Project has been published with text and images submitted by the student]