Going to the Biennale during our
stay in Venice was a very interesting and exciting experience for me as a young
student of architecture. I walked
through the doors with no idea as to what was going to be there. The exhibits for contained as part of
the Biennale were fantastic but more so than the exhibits, I enjoyed the
pavilions as their own pieces of architecture completely independent of what
was inside them. It was
immensely interesting to walk through this small town of architecturally
diverse buildings that each had their own charm about them. I would like to examine a few of these
Pavilions and their own architectural charm. I enjpy that the creators of the Biennale were this sensitive
to the work that was being put on display. This allows the viewer to not only enjoy the work that is on
display but also enjoy the space that they are exploring.
The first Pavilion that I noticed
to be architecturally appealing to myself was the pavilion that represented the
Nordic Areas of Europe. It consisted of one
simple large space for the exhibition and large sliding glass doors for the
public to enter through. The
genius in this building came through in the treatment of the light and also the
pavilion’s obvious connection to nature.
Immediately upon walking into this pavilion, I was impressed with the
space as a space that was conducive to displaying work well. In my sketch you can the Brie-solel on
the top of the building that interact with the normal day lighting of the space
and allow for a very soft, easy light to gently cast onto the works that are
being displayed. The connection to
nature is very evident as a tree grows directly through the building in the
front. Also, the large sliding
glass doors on the sides allow for the exhibition space to feel like it is an
indoor/outdoor space. While it
feels similar to an outdoor space, the building still offers the protection of
harmful sunlight and the elements.
Another Pavilion that I was
impressed with was the Brazilian pavilion. The exterior materiality was refreshingly simple and refine
and the use of the cantilever over the doorway provided for a nice entry
condition. The exterior consisted
of dark wooden panels arranged vertically. The concrete mass that is cantilevered out over the doorway
in the middle allows for the rhythm of the wooden panels to be broken up. The hollow concrete mass that hovers
above the door is quite impressive for the shear fact that it is reinforced
concrete rather than steel or something more conventional. It gives you the feeling that, at any
point, the whole building could topple onto its side.
For me, the Biennale was the most
interesting when I had the chance to explore the pavilions from different
countries. They were small, architecturally interesting buildings on their own. In my opinion, many of these little buildings could stand alone with no exhibit and still be interesting enough to stand on their own as an exhibit.
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