From the CRA Make workshop to installation in Piazza Sant’Agostino

Kinetic Roof Maquette

2026

Piazza Sant’Agostino, Modena, Italy

Credits

Architectural Design CRA-Carlo Ratti Associati

Kinetic Roof Design Hoberman Associates

Fabrication Articulated Artworks, CRA Make, Maestro Technologies

AGO Modena

AGO Modena is transforming the former Sant’Agostino Hospital, an 18th-century complex, into a cultural district of about 22,000 square meters, designed by CRA-Carlo Ratti Associati and the late Italo Rota. At its centre, an origami-inspired kinetic roof designed with Chuck Hoberman will cover the triangular courtyard, shifting between open-air and covered configurations in minutes.

The maquette

Ahead of the full-scale structure, a maquette of the roof stands in Piazza Sant’Agostino. The triangular model measures 7 meters per side and is built in Corten and stainless steel, with three sections that open and close independently. It was digitally fabricated and pre-assembled before installation.

Maestro’s role

Maestro Technologies coordinated the fabrication engineering and installation of the maquette, working alongside CRA Make, Articulated Artworks and Hoberman Associates to bring the kinetic system from design to a working structure in the square.