Exhibition Positivo e Negativo
Exhibition Positivo e Negativo
The exhibition Positive and Negative explores the theme of balance between the built form and emptiness, the starting point of the studio’s design research. Its aim is to shift attention away from the constructed work and encourage visitors to reflect on the role of void in architecture, on the importance of defining it consciously, and on transforming it into a guiding element of the design process.
The first room hosts “Architecture in Twelve Acts” by Federico Babina. The works interpret architecture through an artistic vision that highlights the dualism between solid and void, between the rigorous composition of the built form and the softness of the lines of the unbuilt landscape. His language—composed of rhythm, line, and color—offers a new and personal reading of MAB’s work, constructing a true visual vocabulary that runs through and connects the different pieces.
Void expresses the capacity to catalyze flows, to become a stage for human action, an intangible space of relationships, representation, and identification. Starting from the void means placing people at the center; it means acknowledging the ethical and social role of architecture and its ability to foster inclusion and counteract inequality. Its power to connect or divide, to welcome or repel, to embody a system of values and influence an entire society, makes it a strategic device for urban well-being.
In the second room, the exhibition unfolds through a selection of the studio’s works that demonstrate how the design of the void lies at the core of the creative process: shaping the intangible space of flows, pathways, and the visual and physical relationships of those who will inhabit the place, placing both the individual and the community at the center. The black-and-white project models created for the exhibition explore the relationship between void and solid through chromatic contrast, highlighting their spatial dimension.
On one wall, three projects are presented which, at different scales, demonstrate the central role of the void in shaping a dialogue between exterior and interior (Patronage Laique), in structuring a system of spaces for the community (Centro Parrocchiale e Casa Canonica di Reggiolo), and in defining a landscape framework capable of integrating new and existing elements (Abitare a Milano – via Gallarate).
On the wall facing the courtyard, the reflection on void continues on a more abstract level, through a selection of six projects ranging from the urban scale to that of the individual building. Together, they reveal the tension between void and solid and the different interpretations of empty space within the projects.
At the center, models, drawings, and publications narrate the projects presented on the two walls, showing how an abstract idea takes shape as physical places, public spaces, and buildings. Among the project models, the scale models of MID – Milan Innovation District and UpTown are presented for the first time.
In the background, a mirrored wall—metaphor of the empty space, a place inhabited by all of us reflected within it—raises the central question of the exhibition:“What does it mean to design the void?”
