STUDIO
OMA
POST Houston, Houston, USA, 2021. photo by Leonid Furmansky
Studio Details
Location
Venice, Italy
Date
29 June-10 July, 2026
Team Leaders
Hans Larsson (Associate, OMA)
Alex Retegan (Editorial Manager, OMA)
Program
Urban Regeneration and Housing
Field Trips and Site Visits
Palazzi in Venice
Project
Who wouldn’t want to live in Venice? Tourists flock from every corner of the globe to admire its canals and palazzi; mayors look to its human-scale, walkable streets, unsoiled by the tyres of an SUV; even architects, usually a smug bunch, fall for its surreal poise over the lagoon waters and its trove of inventive masterpieces. The city should effortlessly qualify as one of the most livable places in the world.
In reality, Venice is anything but. Damp in the winter and scalding in the summer, the vast majority of the city’s housing stock offers living conditions barely improved since medieval times. Today’s expectations of function and comfort make life even in the most luxurious palazzi a challenge. Between the cost of practical renovations needed to become livable, and the touristic income from leaving things as is, it doesn’t look like we can expect significant improvements anytime soon.
With no solution in sight Venetians are leaving, and in fact they have been fleeing the city ever since the Republic was dissolved in 1797. The exodus accelerated in the postwar years, when new cities in the mainland offered modern apartments with space for a car, and, crucially, functioning toilets.
Almost four in ten homes stand now empty in Venice, from ordinary dwellings to palazzi on the Canal Grande. Meanwhile, the city’s main injection of youth, its 25,000+ students, are crammed in expensive, substandard accommodation, often two to a room. If the city is to maintain an active resident population engaged in more than just serving tourists, new solutions are needed.
What unexpected possibilities do Venice’s dwellings offer? What kinds of spaces are needed to live and work in the city today? Can the constraints of dwelling on water be turned into an advantage? Over the course of two weeks, we will make an inventory of the city’s housing stock, asses its potential, and devise strategies for a future, truly livable Venice.
OMA is an international practice with offices in Rotterdam, New York, Hong Kong, and Brisbane. The firm is led by seven partners: Rem Koolhaas, Reinier de Graaf, Shohei Shigematsu, Iyad Alsaka, Chris van Duijn, Jason Long, and Managing Partner David Gianotten. OMA’s recently completed projects include Simone Veil Bridge in Bordeaux (2024), Aviva Studios in Manchester (2023), Mangalem 21 in Tirana (2023), Buffalo AKG Art Museum (2023) and Taipei Performing Arts Centre (2022).
Internships and Opportunities
Young designers and students accepted to join OMA at Venice Studio may be considered for available internship or job opportunities at OMA. Selection of candidates is at the sole discretion of the team leaders and OMA. Places are not guaranteed.