The Documentation Centre (Centro di Documentazione) houses the official publications and exhibition catalogues, as well as the proceedings of conferences held during the Triennale di Milano and the Biennale di Monza from 1923 to the exhibitions currently under way. It contains about 400 volumes on the exhibition history of the institution. The collection comes from the former Centro Studi Triennale, which was set up in 1935 by Giuseppe Pagano and acted as a “study centre of modern architecture” until 1941. It was reorganised during the 9^th Triennale in 1951, and shows how La Triennale di Milano has reflected the artistic and architectural culture of Italy, becoming one of the leading centres for emerging trends in the various areas of design, architecture and the arts.

This section includes about 1000 films produced or commissioned by La Triennale, with films of exhibitions and other events, as well as documentaries, interviews, news reports, shorts, electronic-video works and a series of original newsreels from the 1920s to the 1940s, which have been made available by Archivio Luce. It also includes recordings of the most important conferences. All the video materials have been digitised and can be consulted by appointment.

This section contains about 20,000 images, with complete documentation of the exhibitions and shows of every Triennale event, from the first Biennale in Monza, 1923, through to the present day. Most items are original: b/w prints, colour slides, negatives on glass plates of 1951 and digital images of the exhibitions since 2001. Most of the photographs are of the displays and objects on show, though a consistent number are of the openings and other ceremonies. The archive also contains illustrations for catalogues and other publications produced by La Triennale. The archive can be consulted by appointment.

The Archive includes materials produced by La Triennale or acquired from external organisations, from the first Biennale in Monza, in 1923, through to the present day. It has sections of documents and correspondence, press releases, graphics, layouts, and project studies and sketches. In 2005 the archives authority of Lombardy declared the archive to be of significant historical interest (in accordance with Art. 13 of D.L.gs. 42/2004), thus ensuring greater protection of its content. Sorting and cataloguing work is carried out constantly. The archive can be consulted by appointment.

La collezione completa di Periodici (Raccolta della Triennale, Fondo Morello, donazioni varie) include 692 annate. Si tratta di riviste specialistiche di architettura, design, comunicazione, grafica, spet- tacolo, arti visive e moda che spaziano dalla fine degli anni '20 ad oggi. Quasi la metà sono straniere.

Donated by Professor Tomàs Maldonado, this private library includes publications on architecture, the history of design, construction techniques, and on historic works and cultural debates. The holdings consist of about 1500 volumes, fascicles, texts and articles.

This collection comes from the documentation centre of the Associazione Architectura & Natura and from the private library of the architect Serena Omodeo. The Association promotes the circulation of ecological issues and knowledge in architecture and design projects. The collection covers the increasingly topical themes of bio architecture, ecological design, and renewable sources of energy and consists of about 1200 volumes.

The Augusto Morello library, which forms the core holdings of the Lybrary, comes from the donation of the personal library of the former chairman of La Triennale. It includes over 7000 volumes on subjects ranging from design to architecture and art, as well as philosophy, aesthetics, communication, and fashion.

This collection comes from the private library of the Acquati-Garavaglia family, and comprises about 1000 books of rare value, including artistic editions of architecture and art exhibitions, as well as ancient books. The collection is the result of the commitment of the two families in the field of art and entrepreneurship in the graphic arts sector from the early 1920s, under the name Officine Grafiche Esperia.

Alessandro Mendini has donated over 3000 of his original drawings to La Triennale. The collection reveals his work method through preparatory drawings, which are at once feverish and crystal-clear, and the theoretical and illustrative texts that lead to the creation of a project. The drawings have been catalogued and digitised and can be viewed on the Library’s multimedia workstation.

This archive of designs for public and commercial places was donated by the architect and designer Paola Lanzani. The documents record her work from 1961 to 2006, mainly for leading Italian and foreign chains of shops and department stores. Paola Lanzani revamped their image by redesigning the interiors and sales facilities, which for the first time in Italy were made using modular systems. She also paid great attention to light design and visual merchandising.

Gabriella Zunino generously donated to the Biblioteca del Progetto a collection that has become an important resource for historical research, covering 25 years from the first issue of the magazine in 1994.

With about 250 rare volumes, many of which are in foreign languages, dating from the 1970s and 1980s, the collection focuses mainly on urban developments in Europe and North America, territorial development planning, and urban sociology studies, and it includes the proceedings of international meetings and conferences.

Fondazione Mondadori contributed to the opening of the Biblioteca del Progetto to the public by donating a series of precious architecture publications (Documenti di Architettura), and monographs and volumes on the history of architecture, including publications from recent years. 

This collection, which was acquired by La Triennale di Milano in 1985, is the result of the work and research of the architect Giuliana Gramigna, who has selected the documentation produced by historic and emerging companies in the field of home furnishing. It includes company catalogues and profiles, and profiles of individual designers, arranged in a series of information sheets on Italian designers, manufacturers and products from the 1950s to the 1980s.