In the heart of Milan, in a former nightclub space where Jimi Hendrix once played, Triennale Milano has harnessed exceptional interior and acoustic design to create a new type of cultural space which stays true to the collaborative and experimental ethos of the city’s historic cultural institution, and where sound and music will take centre stage
Photography by Delfino Sisto Legnani – DSL Studio
The musical roots of the Triennale Milano, the museum of modern art and design, have been brought back to life with the opening of Voce, a vibrant new space dedicated to music and sound. Housed in the former spaces of the Old Fashion nightclub, it is located inside the Bernocchi Palazzo dell’Arte on the southern side of Parco Sempione, where the Triennale boasts a rich and storied history dating back to 1923. The building was originally designed by Milanese architect Giovanni Muzio, who in 1933 undertook the challenge of creating a new typology of exhibition space. His solution was to conceive a structure that prioritised a functional, flexible and modular system – one that could accommodate a host of exhibitions and installations, as well as provide a multifunctional performance space.
Since then, the Triennale has served as a place for cultural dialogue and its exhibitions have reflected sociocultural shifts, such as changing values and norms, through contemporary design, architecture and, more recently, music.
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While the latter has taken a slight backseat in the Triennale’s broader narrative in recent years, it is, in fact, the beating heart of this cultural institution. ‘In 1933, the Triennale had an orchestra and so music has always been a part of the building itself,’ explains Damiano Gullì, who is curating Voce’s musical programming, which will run throughout the year and feature both established and emerging Italian and international artists. ‘Building on this tradition, we also have the theatre, alongside the connection to the club, which already existed,’ continues Gullì. ‘So, our idea is to create a space where clubbing and dancing are fully integrated into the building, offering visitors a unique and culturally enriching experience.’
Voce’s origins can be traced back to the 1950s, when the space served as a cultural club of sorts for the Triennale. It quickly garnered a reputation as being a vibrant hub for the channel programmes of Rai 3, one of the three main channels of the Italian public broadcasting company. By the mid-1960s, the Triennale welcomed the Piper, a prominent nightclub that played a significant role in Italy’s pop culture scene. Often launching the careers of many national musicians, it also hosted international superstars,
including Jimi Hendrix, who performed in 1968.
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Voce brings this musical legacy back to life. Staying true to the Triennale’s experimental ethos, the venue was conceived as a place for the cross-pollution of genres. In a bid to promote sound research and preserve musical works and audio archives, the 300 sq metre space is meant for musical enjoyment as much as it is designed to spark new ideas, whether that’s through panel discussions, DJ sets or small exhibitions.
Stretching across the park level of the museum and connecting out into the adjacent gardens, which play host to two bigger concerts every year – and have seen the likes of Beth Gibbons perform and Björk appear during Milan Design Week 2025 – Voce layers both old and new elements that blend the building’s historical context with a contemporary twist.
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Luca Cipelletti of Milanese studio AR.CH.IT spearheaded the revival. Developing the concept, architectural design and space layout, his idea was to revamp Muzio’s original designs from the 1930s. On arrival, a luminous, white neon Triennale Voce sign on the exterior, realised by Marcello Maloberti, leads visitors from the garden to the dancefloor and bar inside. Here, a 2.2-metre-high band of sound-insulating, sound-absorbing and sound-reflecting panels is designed to encircle all the walls and cover the ceiling, to offer a superior sound experience.
The club features a system of pillars that carve out three asymmetrical naves, yet a custom-designed soundwall stands out as the centrepiece. With a distributed mode speaker system, it has been engineered to deliver rich, immersive audio to elevate the listening experience. Echoing the collaborative spirit of the Triennale, the audio design is the result of a collaboration between designer and musician Giorgio Di Salvo, renowned engineer Lucio Visentini – formerly of the Triennale Theatre – and Knauf, a leading manufacturer of acoustic panels.
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