Studio Details

Location
Venice, Italy

Date
THIS PROGRAM HAS ENDED

Studio Directors in Venice
Lorenzo Mattozzi (Associate Architect, MVRDV)
Cosimo Scotucci (Senior Project Leader, MVRDV)

Studio Project
Public space and landscape design. Small scale architecture. Infrastructure and playground design. Regenerative design and urban refurbishment

Studio Project

Campi Minori 

The Studio aims to investigate the potential of public spaces in Venice, envisioning them as hubs for gathering, play, and greenery. The objective is to enhance and modernize services and areas tailored specifically for children within the historical center. Venice currently lacks inviting and well-planned public spaces. The deficiency of easily accessible green areas is striking. Despite its inherent safety and tranquility, the city offers little to children. By enhancing the quality, design, and inviting nature of public squares, there is an opportunity to enhance residents’ lives, thus increasing the likelihood of them choosing to remain in the city. Amidst the compact and well-established historical layout, we identified a residential zone, tucked away from the more touristy routes, where families still reside. Within this area, we pinpointed a pathway linking Fondamenta Nuove to a series of smaller, less renowned squares, presenting an opportunity for rejuvenation. These squares, forming an archipelago of Campi Minori, have the potential to symbolize a more considerate and welcoming Venice, either temporarily or permanently. The students will devise structures, buildings, public areas, and green spaces that encourage play, education, and social interactions. 

In collaboration with the Municipality of Venice, the Studio aims to unlock the untapped potential of public space design, with a specific focus on the younger residents and the lesser squares: Campi Minori. The project aims to develop a coherent master plan, a sequence of public spaces, for a deeply residential area of Venice, promoting enhanced living quality and services for children and families. By introducing modern and contemporary design elements within the Venetian context, the project aims to challenge prevailing perceptions of Venice’s crystallization. 

MVRDV was founded in 1993 by Winy Maas, Jacob van Rijs and Nathalie de Vries. Based in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, the company has a global scope, providing solutions to contemporary architectural and urban issues in all regions of the world. It is a highly collaborative environment where architects, clients, stakeholders, and experts from a wide range of fields, come together during the creative process. The results are exemplary, outspoken projects that enable cities and landscapes to develop towards a better future.

The products of MVRDV’s unique approach to design vary, ranging from buildings of all types and sizes, to urban plans and visions, numerous publications, installations and exhibitions. Completed projects include the Netherlands Pavilion for the World EXPO 2000 in Hannover; the Market Hall, a combination of housing and retail in Rotterdam; the Pushed Slab, a sustainable office building in Paris’ first eco-district; Flight Forum, an innovative business park in Eindhoven; the Silodam Housing complex in Amsterdam; the Matsudai Cultural Centre in Japan; the Unterföhring office campus near Munich; the Lloyd Hotel in Amsterdam; the Ypenburg housing and urban plan in The Hague; the Didden Village rooftop housing extension in Rotterdam; the music centre De Effenaar in Eindhoven; the Gyre boutique shopping center in Tokyo; a public library in Spijkenisse; an international bank headquarters in Oslo, Norway; and the iconic Mirador and Celosia housing in Madrid.

The work of MVRDV is exhibited and published worldwide and has received numerous international awards. Two hundred and fifty architects, designers and urbanists develop projects in a multi-disciplinary, collaborative design process that involves rigorous technical and creative investigation.

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