Invisible City - Venice

Venice has glorified its cultural legacy with art and architecture and this has created unique urban fabric between land and lagoon. Built heritage of Venice has changed from luxuriant to derelict building conditions with growing issue of aqua alta and mass tourism. In response to the transformation of Venice into the hub of art and culture, we designed a series of Pavilions that work in satellite-like configurations to establish interconnectivity between contemporary art and cultural heritage. The vertical elements of the Pavilion is inspired by the floating city of Venice on its anchored wooden foundations.From contemporary art and architecture festivals to the tradition of Venetian festivals, the Pavilions are a place for all. This helps reduce pressure on crowded historical places during city wide festivities. The Pavilion is also an ideal solution for the issue of flooding; embracing its frequent occurrence, jostling tourists in narrow lanes and gentrification. Space is designed to cater to different activities ranging from art installation, digital screening and exhibition for the city to create an enduring relation between people, lagoon, and Venice. The Pavilions are adaptive in nature. They can perform in several locations from the plaza, canal and the lagoon, accommodating a wide range of activities throughout the year. The pavilion structure designed with the translucent materials to compliment the rich historic facade of Venice. The Pavilion sits quiet in the day and transforms in colourful sculptural effect in the night, enhancing the dark urban places of city. The Pavilion is the contemporary intervention to regenerate the historic core of Venice towards a city of art and cultural innovation, and to stimulate the cultural dialogue between visitors and Venetians in a sustainable way.

Design Team : Madhura Joshi, Kelly Lee & Engeland Apostol