Museums and sustainability. Necessity and opportunity

Fondazione Luigi Rovati hosts the conference organized by the Cultural Association Display & Design ETS, in collaboration with the International Committee of Architecture and Museum Techniques (ICOM-ICAMT).

 

Starting from the reflections inspired by the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)—which promote peace, prosperity, and the fight against poverty, inequality, and climate change—the first initiative of 2025 by Display & Design ETS is launched under the title: Museum Sustainability: Needs and Opportunities.

 

Culture and museums must now take on a leading role in the transformation toward a more equitable and sustainable world. The key questions to begin with are: how can this change be achieved? What real opportunities and responsibilities do cultural and museum institutions hold?

 

The 2024 conference was highly successful: in a single working day, four thematic sessions were held with the participation of eleven speakers, four moderators, and around seventy attendees, including professionals and sector operators. Important institutions joined the 2024 initiative, such as: ICOM-ICAMT, Fondazione Compagnia di San Paolo, Gallerie d’Italia, Goppion, and Md’A Design Agency.

 

In light of the positive results of the edition hosted at Gallerie d’Italia in Turin and the strong interest shown, a second edition of the conference is now proposed in collaboration with Fondazione Luigi Rovati, in order to maintain momentum on these themes, involving other virtuous institutions and sharing innovative—also experimental—knowledge.

 

Organized once again in collaboration with ICOM-ICAMT, the 2025 international conference aims to offer a renewed opportunity for dialogue on the challenges and opportunities linked to the sustainable transition of the museum sector—a transition which, although initiated more than a decade ago, still struggles to translate into a systemic and integrated change. The initiative is joined by Intiraimi, Goppion, Md’A Design Agency, APMG International, and D-LAB Training & Consulting.

 

Museums are not only custodians of collections, but also of knowledge, experiences, and values that recount the scientific, social, and cultural evolution of humanity. Their cultural action generates well-being, stimulates participation, and strengthens social cohesion, as demonstrated by numerous studies.

 

In a context marked by environmental crises and resource scarcity, culture and sustainability must actively engage in dialogue. International bodies such as UNESCO, ICOM, and the Council of the European Union highlight the central role of cultural heritage in building sustainable futures, as an educational tool and engine for change.

 

With the aim of making the conference an annual reference event for architects and museum professionals, the 2025 edition will revisit the four central themes already addressed, analyzing them from new national and international perspectives.

 

The conference is co-organized with ICOM-ICAMT and held in collaboration with Fondazione Luigi Rovati.

The event has received the patronage of Regione Lombardia, the Municipality of Milan, the City of Turin, the Order of Architects, Planners, Landscape Architects and Conservators of the Province of Milan, and Fondazione Cariplo.

 

Accreditation: 3 CFP for the morning session and 4 CFP for the afternoon session.

Minimum attendance: 100%

PROGRAM

9:15 – Institutional Greetings

• Representative of Fondazione Luigi Rovati
• Introduction by Marina Martin, ICOM-ICAMT Board Member, for the ICOM Award for Sustainable Development Practice in Museums

9:30 – Welcome Remarks

•  Maddalena d’Alfonso, President of the Display & Design ETS Association

 

MUSEUMS AND SUSTAINABILITY – MODULE I

NEEDS

Participation for architects with the awarding of 4 CPD Credits

9:45 – 11:15

SESSION I – Leadership for Change

How museums can effectively guide the sustainable transition at both local and global scale.

Moderator:
Patrizia Asproni

Speakers:
Angelo Crespi – The case of the Pinacoteca di Brera
Marco Edoardo Minoja – The case of Fondazione Torino Musei
Adele De Vito – The cases of the V&A Museum in London, the MET Museum in New York, and the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam

 

11:15 – 13:00

SESSION II – Benefits of Change

Examining the environmental impacts and the advantages—also economic—of small and large actionable changes.

Moderator:
Guido Guerzoni

Speakers:
Jean Hilgersom – The case of the Kröller-Müller Museum
Matteo Ferrario – The case of Fondazione Zegna
Giovanna Forlanelli – The case of Fondazione Luigi Rovati
Marco Bruni – The case of the Civic Archaeological Museum “Delta Antico”

 

MUSEUMS AND SUSTAINABILITY – MODULE II

OPPORTUNITIES

Participation for architects with the awarding of 4 CPD Credits

 

14:00 – 16:00

SESSION III – Future Scenarios

Perspectives for museums and the potential ethical, symbolic, and territorial implications of the sustainable transition.

Moderator:
Maddalena d’Alfonso

Speakers:
Mauro Acito – The case of TAM – Tower Art Museum in Matera
Philippe Chiambaretta – The case of Centre Pompidou Massy
Alessia Salerno – The case of Fondazione Prada

 

16:00 – 18:00

SESSION IV – A New Paradigm for the Public

Inclusion, active participation, and reducing gender and accessibility inequalities in the museums of the future.

Moderator:
Cristiana Campanini

Speakers:
Giacomo Ardesio – The case of the Italian Pavilion at the 2023 Venice Architecture Biennale
Monica Rusconi – The case of the Museum of Rural Civilization in Stabio
Michele Ciacciofera – Three sustainable works in three contexts
Anna Fresa – The case of the travelling contemporary art exhibition “La Grande Visione Italiana. La Collezione Farnesina”

 

18:00 – 19:00

Guided tour of the museum and ongoing exhibitions

Self-certifiable activity for architects with the awarding of 1 additional CPD Credit

 

Further information and full speaker biographies are available on the Design & Display ETS website.