Cultural
Manfrin Project
Venice, 2022
The architectural project and restoration for the Kapoor Project, conceived and executed by UNA, builds upon the rich history of the 18th century Venetian building “Ca Manfrin”, once home to one of the most outstanding artistic Venetian collections to develop a radical design solution which contemporarily explores the role and value associated with the introduction of a contemporary art foundation within the fabric of the city of Venice.
Situated within the Cannaregio area, a highly interesting and experimental insula which catalyzed projects by Le Corbusier and Peter Eisenman, the design first and foremost explores the relationship between the foundation and both its immediate context as well the wider synergies with the city of Venice and its other institutions. To this end, the project focuses on the “new” and rediscovered ground floor as a permeable floorplan whose independent spaces span from the “Tirali gallery” facing the Calle del Vergola, the bookshop on the Fondamenta and the café adjacent to the Parco Savornan.
Resting above this, the first floor is designed to be entirely dedicated to the exhibition of the artist’s work and is divided between spaces which retain the historic patina through a selection of frescoed late 18th century rooms (restored within the first phase of works) and rooms which have been designed to accommodate for a more neutral and white setting to the works of the artist. As a counterpart to the artistic agenda of the first floor, the two floors above have been thought of in collaboration with the University of Ca Foscari as an educational outpost of the main headquarters of the institution, strengthening the notion of the Kapoor Project as a cultural project intertwined with the city’s fabric.
Beyond the design decisions and programmatic distribution which inform the identity of the project, major structural interventions were undertaken to first and foremost “secure’ the Palazzo whilst also enabling the entry and exhibiting of the large-scale artworks of Anish Kapoor. The necessity of creating a space which would respect museum and educational standards also lead to the drafting and execution of a complex MEP system.
Image credits all photographs © DSL Studio
Situated within the Cannaregio area, a highly interesting and experimental insula which catalyzed projects by Le Corbusier and Peter Eisenman, the design first and foremost explores the relationship between the foundation and both its immediate context as well the wider synergies with the city of Venice and its other institutions. To this end, the project focuses on the “new” and rediscovered ground floor as a permeable floorplan whose independent spaces span from the “Tirali gallery” facing the Calle del Vergola, the bookshop on the Fondamenta and the café adjacent to the Parco Savornan.
Resting above this, the first floor is designed to be entirely dedicated to the exhibition of the artist’s work and is divided between spaces which retain the historic patina through a selection of frescoed late 18th century rooms (restored within the first phase of works) and rooms which have been designed to accommodate for a more neutral and white setting to the works of the artist. As a counterpart to the artistic agenda of the first floor, the two floors above have been thought of in collaboration with the University of Ca Foscari as an educational outpost of the main headquarters of the institution, strengthening the notion of the Kapoor Project as a cultural project intertwined with the city’s fabric.
Beyond the design decisions and programmatic distribution which inform the identity of the project, major structural interventions were undertaken to first and foremost “secure’ the Palazzo whilst also enabling the entry and exhibiting of the large-scale artworks of Anish Kapoor. The necessity of creating a space which would respect museum and educational standards also lead to the drafting and execution of a complex MEP system.
| Project Title: | Manfrin Project |
| Location: | Palazzo Manfrin, Venice, Italy |
| Year: | 2020-ongoing |
| Status: | Ongoing |
| Program: | Art Foundation |
| Scale: | XL |
| Surface: | 5,027 sqm |
| Client: | Anish Kapoor |
| Partner: | Giulia Foscari |
| Team: | Antonio Foscari (Construction Supervision), Francesca Pagliaro and Alessandro Gatti (Project Architects), Giulia Bergamo, Niccolò Cesaris, Fabrizio Esposito, Roland Henning, Enrico Manente, Elena Pollastrini, Ignacio Servetto, Luca Sopelsa, Alberto Spinella, Olympia Simopolou and Federica Zambeletti |
| Consultants: | Antonio Girello (Health and Safety), ESA (MEP Engineer), GAD (Cost Consultant), SACAIM (General Contractor), TTE (Structural Engineer) |
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