Did you know that the Fondazione Prada in Milan was once a gin distillery? The original complex, including warehouses, laboratories and brewing silos, was built in 1910 and purchased by the Italian fashion doyenne Miuccia Prada in the 2000s as an arts and culture space. Prada enlisted Rem Koolhaas and his architecture studio OMA to mastermind its renovation. They did so in typical style, combining preexisting buildings with three new structures—a podium, cinema, and white, geometric tower. Perhaps the most memorable part of the space’s reinvention was the makeover of a four-storey warehouse, now home to Prada’s permanent art collection, which they covered in 24-carat gold leaf.
