From paper to a shared experience: “Engineering on the move” told a story that went far beyond sporting venues
NEWSThere comes a moment when a line drawn on paper becomes a space, an encounter, a collective experience. This is how our exhibition “Engineering on the move: sports venues from the MAIRE Historical Archive” came about, in which, for the first time, we have put on display some of the materials held in the MAIRE Historical Archive (formerly FIAT Engineering).
From 27 February to 5 March, as part of the Milano MuseoCity 2026 programme, at the MAIRE headquarters in the Torri Garibaldi in Milan, drawings, sketches, perspectives and period photographs illustrated – to over 300 colleagues and external guests, adults and children alike – how engineering has contributed – quietly, yet decisively – to building sporting venues and, with them, new forms of social interaction, culture and the collective imagination.
Drawings have ceased to be mere technical documents, becoming narrative tools: visions, ambitions, experiments. The story of a country that is changing, evolving, and facing new challenges – from the birth of skiing as a sport to the development of the tourism industry linked to it; from sport as a place for people to come together to the facilities that have turned it into a spectacle and a collective experience. From the original design of the Albergo Duchi D’Aosta in Sestriere to the original design of the Palavela and its dual purpose; from the FIAT workers’ club to the stadiums in Venice and Genoa that were never built, an exhibition itinerary developed thematically and chronologically, bringing engineering, architecture and society into dialogue.
“Engineering on the move” was not merely a look back at the past, but an invitation to reflect on current and future challenges, and on the value of our roots in tackling them.
Sincere thanks to all the guests who enthusiastically took part in the exhibition, contributing their own experiences to enrich the history underlying the works on display.
The exhibition remained open until 13 March 2026 for the benefit of MAIRE colleagues.
For more information, please visit the dedicated landing page.
DIGITAL ARCHIVE
Our Foundation also oversees the management of the digital vault, an IT platform where some 20,000 drawings, plans, and documents from MAIRE's historical archive have been digitalized. This platform makes it possible to access materials effectively and quickly by cross-referencing descriptive categories, metadata, terminology, chronological information, and tags.
TO SUPPORT US
To contribute to initiatives promoting heritage, restoration projects for drawings in the Historical Archive, and the dissemination of corporate archive culture, you can donate through our ‘Support the MAIRE Historical Archive’ campaign on Rete del Dono.
