Turin launches competition for redevelopment of GAM

Turin ’s GAM - Galleria Civica d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea is preparing for a radical transformation. The international design competition for the redevelopment of the building that houses Italy’s oldest civic museum of modern art has been published on the concorsiarchibo.eu platform of the Order of Architects of Bologna. The initiative, promoted by the Turin Museums Foundation in collaboration with the City of Turin, the Compagnia di San Paolo Foundation and with the support of the Foundation for Architecture/Turin, represents a key step in a broader strategic plan aimed at repositioning GAM on the international scene.

The project, called GAM 4.0, is part of a renewal context that aims to strengthen the institution’s reputation and prestige, making it a central node in the global cultural network. The new GAM is to become an example of the museum of the future, capable of integrating environmental sustainability, technological innovation and enhancement of the existing heritage. At the heart of the initiative is the redevelopment of the modern building that houses GAM, designed in the 1950s. The competition asks participants to propose a philological restoration that preserves the original features of the structure, enhancing its architectural peculiarities. At the same time, it calls for an intervention capable of integrating cutting-edge technological solutions for energy efficiency, environmental sustainability and containment of the impact on the urban context. The goal is to reconcile the historical memory of the building with the most up-to-date ecological standards, including through the adoption of certified green building protocols. The competition is divided into two distinct phases. The first phase, held openly, will involve the pre-selection of candidates on the basis of curriculum and qualifications, and will lead to the selection of five contestants. The second phase, held anonymously, will consist of the drafting of the actual projects, with the preparation of technical and economic feasibility studies. At the end of the process, the winning project will be selected.

“For GAM,” says the Mayor of the City of Turin, Stefano Lo Russo, “which has a strategic role in the Turin cultural scene, a season of revitalization has opened that aims to strengthen its prestige at the international level. A renewal that looks at the collections and the exhibition itinerary, thanks to the work done by the new director Chiara Bertola, and at a redevelopment of the architectural complex that aims to restore the museum to its former glory, recovering that avant-garde spirit that characterized its birth. A path that as an administration we support from the very beginning, identifying culture as a qualifying element of the Turin of today and of the Turin to come. Investing in culture always has a positive value for the quality of life of citizens and for the promotion of the city.”

“The provision of financial resources is traditionally a key instrument of philanthropy,” says Marco Gilli, president of the Compagnia di San Paolo Foundation. “However, the path of innovation we are pursuing allows us to adopt a more advanced approach, based on a plurality of instruments that enhance the best experiences of international philanthropy. This is what we mean by Evolved Philanthropy, and it is thanks to this approach that, in collaboration with the Real Estate Operations and Social Housing Area of PR.I.S.MA S.c.r.l. and the Culture Back Office of the ’La Venaria Reale’ Conservation and Restoration Center, we are supporting the Fondazione Torino Musei in the process of publishing the international design competition. In line with our commitment to the preservation and maintenance of cultural heritage, the refunctionalization of GAM represents a huge opportunity for Turin. Not only does it allow for the redevelopment of the museum’s heritage, but, given the building’s particularity, it is set to be one of the most relevant design sites nationwide, and I am convinced that it will be able to attract the interest of highly qualified groups of professionals.”

The total economic value of the intervention amounts to about 27.5 million euros, of which up to 18 million will be allocated for the work. Economic support is guaranteed by the Compagnia di San Paolo Foundation, which will finance the design phases and part of the investment for the execution. The remaining financing is the subject of dialogue with the Ministry, in a negotiation that the sponsoring entities define as having started with positive outcomes. Also supporting the initiative is PR.I.S.MA, a subsidiary of the Compagnia di San Paolo Foundation itself. The competition was conceived as an opportunity for architects and designers from all over the world to intervene in an area of particular historical and symbolic value for the city of Turin. The new GAM will have to be configured as an accessible public space, open and integrated into the urban fabric, capable of combining the exhibition function with a cultural experience enriched by digital tools and interactive technologies. Works of art will remain central, but they will be flanked by new languages and communication tools that can broaden public involvement and facilitate the enjoyment of content. One of the explicit goals is to return GAM to its original spirit, marked by the avant-garde. A museum that is both a custodian of the past and a laboratory of ideas for the future. The reflection on the identity of the contemporary museum passes, in the Turin project, through the reinterpretation of its architecture and functions: from energy sustainability to accessibility, from technology to the care of the works as a vehicle of knowledge. The call also includes a system of prizes and reimbursements for participants. The winner will be awarded a prize of 100,000 euros (net of VAT and charges), intended as a down payment for the next design phase. Runners-up from second to fifth place will be awarded prizes ranging from 50,000 to 20,000 euros.

Deadlines for the competition are already set. Entries must be submitted by June 5, 2025. The names of the five finalists admitted to the second phase will be announced on July 18. Projects must be turned in by October 16, while the winner is scheduled to be announced on November 27, 2025. The evaluation of the proposals will be entrusted to two separate commissions. A first pre-selection jury, composed of three members chosen from professionals or academics with specific expertise, will select the finalists. Subsequently, a second panel of five members, at least three of whom have a technical profile, will judge the projects anonymously to ensure impartiality in evaluation. All information about the competition is available on the online platform of the Bologna Order of Architects, which can be reached at https://concorsiarchibo.eu/gam-torino/. The entire procedure will be conducted electronically, including registration, downloading documentation, submitting questions, and uploading entries for both phases.

Turin launches competition for redevelopment of GAM

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