Renovation of the Central Pavilion at the Venice Biennale

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Originally built between 1894 and 1895 as Palazzo Pro Arte, the Central Pavilion evolved over the course of more than a century to become the core of the Italian Pavilion at the Venice Art Biennale. Its history presents successive enlargements and modifications, an accumulation of diverse architectural layers, consolidating the building as the heart of the Biennale’s curatorial narrative since 1999. After sixteen months of works, the renovation takes the Central Pavilion as a stratified architectural organism. The historical layers are selected, interpreted, and reorganized to offer a legible spatial system, clarifying the circulation and the hierarchy of spaces. Sala Chini positions itself as the main node through which the exhibition galleries are laid out, designed as unobstructed spaces with technical systems now pushed out of sight, built into walls and ceilings. A ring of spaces open to the public surrounds the principal galleries, including a bookstore, a café, educational facilities, and technical zones. These services operate independently, allowing the galleries to remain flexible for different exhibition arrangements. Historical elements, such as Carlo Scarpa's windows, are restored and reinstalled, while the Brenno del Giudice room is reconfigured following its 1928 design. Openings to the terrace overlooking the canal are also restored, reestablishing visual and physical connections with the Giardini and streamlining the building's history by removing incongruous additions.