Venice, Italy
Situated next to the Fondamente Nuove and a few steps from the Church of Santi Giovanni e Paolo in Venice, Spazio Berlendis by Filippo Caprioglio of Caprioglio Architects is the transformation of a former carpentry building into a space devoted to art in its countless forms and variations.
Spazio Berlendis is a space intended to host cultural events of various kinds: art exhibitions, performances, music, conferences, and more.
It is the result of the restoration of a former carpentry building of the Squero Fassi (Fassi Shipyard), also known as Squero Vecio (The Old Squero), the oldest one in Venice.
In the past, the city had many squeri, small shipyards where typical Venetian boats like gondolas, pupparini, and sandoli were built and repaired.
The idea was to create a building that could marry the charm of a very particular context with the versatility of a neutral environment, which does not have the constraints of a historic building and is suitable for hosting artistic events of various kinds.
“An ‘artifact’ with the characteristics of a pavilion but located in the heart of the city,” according to the architects.
The result is a neutral box that also has a personality, but one that leaves room for artistic work without placing itself in competition.
The “water gateway” is a completely new architectural type for the city, a deliberately contemporary sign while respecting the traditional function.
The architecture is intended to be flexible in relation to the type of events hosted, offering the possibility of using the space with natural light (zenithal), artificial light (very flexible lighting system), or without light, for example for videos or particular performances.
Some of the exhibition walls, about 250 square meters on 300 square meters of surface (including the service areas) have a height of 4.50 meters.
The technical characteristics of the walls and the ceiling reinforcements allow for the installation of large-format works and heavy weights.
The renovation combines respect for the original type of building and its urban context.
At the same time, it has a strong contemporary that involved particular attention in the management of the choices of materials and finishes, such as the concrete floor with a handcrafted resin finish (Architop nuvolato).
With its exceptional heights, light from above, and accessibility also from the Rio dei Mendicanti through the water gateway, Spazio Berlendis is a fascinating place owing to its place within the city and internal configuration.
Careful restoration, while respecting its original structure, has endowed the place with a strong sense of contemporaneity.
Thanks to its technical layout features, vast exhibition capacity, and predisposition for different typologies of installations, it has turned into a special and prominent destination in the city of Venice, ideal for hosting events of various artistic tendencies.
The connection between this place and art goes back to the 18th century.
The Squero Vecio was immortalized by several artists including Canaletto and Guardi.
The name Berlendis comes from the adjacent courtyard, in turn, named after the Palazzo Berlendis, characterized by its neo-Classical style.
Project: Spazio Berlendis
Architects: Caprioglio Architects
Lead Architect: Filippo Caprioglio
Collaborators: Angela D’Alessio and Costantino Paparella
General Contractor: BETA costruzioni
Client: Spazio Berlendis S.r.l.
Photographer: Paolo Monello
