Venezia

An ideas competition entry for a Canadian architecture pavilion in Venice Italy, with gallery spaces floating high above the plaza below, supported on two slim branching pillars.  Access to the structure is made by ascending the iconic Campanile di San Marco.  Bridges link the historic landmark to an open air exhibit space on the pavilion rooftop.  To preserve the integrity of the tower, the bridges do not physically come into contact with it – one must in fact make a rather small leap across the abyss that separates them.  Four projecting belvederes afford the first of a series of controlled views of the city and its landmarks.  A shallow ramp overlooking the Piazza San Marco leads down into the interior exhibit spaces.  A staircase cuts through a rain-catching apparatus, that pierces the pavilion.  It is open at the top, to catch the rain, with an inverted spire-shaped holding tank animating its bottom elevation.  A massive media screen is suspended over the square to project Canadian content to the masses below.

with paintings by Tom Lovatt