Malba, the latest generation museum

Malba is already 16 years old. The building was a milestone in Buenos Aires architecture. Its rooms have hosted a number of traveling exhibits to become an essential site of the Latin American contemporary art scene.

Now, Malba is being renovated to improve the visitor experience and become a next generation museum as a cultural center with a multi-faceted offer. To do so, an ambitious reform project was carried out on the ground floor of the building to improve access, movement, communication and the quality of the services offered to visitors with a view to expanding the entrance and reception area to create a great central hall. The main operation involved transforming some 1,000 m2 and levelling out the floors to create a common surface.

The firm Estudios Herreros was responsible for the reforms. It’s an architecture office in Madrid which has handled important projects in the world of art such as the Edward Munch Museum in Oslo and the remodeling of the exhibit areas at the Queen Sofia Museum in Madrid, among other galleries, exhibits, etc.

“The project transforms the museum hall into an area that meets the new needs deriving from the museum growth in recent years to offer a friendly and inclusive space with the potential to become a part of visitors’ daily life due to the simplicity,” - Juan Herreros, the firm’s founding partner

For the Malba reforms, Herreros used a range of industrially aesthetic materials to create a unique multi-purpose area with a continuous floor resembling a concrete street as a half-way point between the city and the exhibit rooms. Phedra by Neolith was used in the museum floor for a fresh, balanced atmosphere with the greyish shadows inherent to this model. Phedra Due to its versatility, Phedra was also used for the bathroom countertops.

“Neolith seemed to be the right material to unify each one of the museum areas and meet our different needs: suitable for high traffic and for paneling horizontal surfaces, countertops, walls and floors. It was a great decision as this material can be used for many things.”

Martín Torrado, Director of Torrado Arquitectos.

The inclusion of material such as Neolith in this ambitious project made it possible to create an all-new space designed to be visited and inhabited by each one of us. It’s a next generation museum just like the materials used for its reform in which Neolith Sintered Stone, pioneer in an innovative and revolutionary product category, was added as an effective response to the most demanding architectural and interior design needs. It has all given rise to an all-new contemporary museum concept without losing sight of the essence of Malba, which is quite the symbol of Buenos Aires and will house internationally emblematic works of art.