The renovation of the historic Procuratie Vecchie building in Venice, carried out by David Chipperfield Architects, is scheduled to begin at the beginning of this year, after the Superintendence of Archeology, Fine Arts and Landscape granted its permission.

For the first time in 500 years, a large part of the Procuratie Vecchie in Piazza San Marco will be made available to the public to organize the activities of The Human Safety Net, in support of vulnerable communities.
Sitting on the city’s iconic Piazza San Marco, the Procuratie Vecchie was designed by Bartolomeo Bon and Jacopo Sansovino in the early sixteenth century. The renovation project, promoted by global insurance providers and building owners Generali, will repurpose the historic building for the public, with exhibition spaces linked to The Human Safety Net Foundation on the third floor, along with workspaces and an auditorium.

The structure’s integrity will be restored through the restoration of original features and elements, while the interior spaces will be reunified to introduce clarity to the building. The restoration will involve the recuperation of original Venetian materials and craftsmanship from local tradespeople.

The works are integrated with the current progression of a 2009 project by Gretchen Harnischfeger Alexander, which includes the renovation of the main façade on Piazza San Marco, structural interventions, and a new fire protection system. 
 

Description of project by David Chipperfield Architects

The renovation of the historic Procuratie Vecchie building on Piazza San Marco in Venice has been granted planning permission by the Municipality of Venice. For the first time in 500 years, a large part of the building will be made accessible to the public. It will host the activities of The Human Safety Net, the charitable foundation of Italian insurance company Generali.

The project is not defined by a single concept or architectural gesture, but by a series of interventions that address the complexity of the work. These include the restoration of the first and second floors, the reorganisation of accessibility and usability of the building through the inclusion of new staircases, and the renewed central entrance on the third floor with access to the raised courtyards. The third floor will include exhibition spaces open to the public and linked to The Human Safety Net, as well as work spaces and an auditorium. David Chipperfield Architects Milan was selected by Generali to restore the sixteenth century building in 2017 after an international competition.

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David Chipperfield was born in London in 1953 and studied architecture at the Kingston School of Art and the Architectural Association School of Architecture in London before working at the practices of Douglas Stephen, Richard Rogers and Norman Foster.

In 1985 he founded David Chipperfield Architects, which today has over 300 staff at its offices in London, Berlin, Milan and Shanghai.

David Chipperfield has taught and held conferences in Europe and the United States and has received honorary degrees from the universities of Kingston and Kent.

He is a member of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and an honorary fellow of both the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and the Bund Deutscher Architekten (BDA). In 2009 he was awarded the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany and in 2010 he received a knighthood for services to architecture in the UK and Germany. In 2011 he received the RIBA Royal Gold Medal for Architecture and in 2013 the Praemium Imperiale from the Japan Art Association, while in 2021 he was appointed a member of the Order of the Companions of Honour in recognition of a lifetime’s work.

In 2012 he curated the 13th International Architecture Exhibition of the Venice Biennale.

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Published on: June 17, 2019
Cite: "Chipperfield starts the renovation of the Procuratie Vecchie of St. Mark's Square" METALOCUS. Accessed
<https://www.metalocus.es/en/news/chipperfield-starts-renovation-procuratie-vecchie-st-marks-square> ISSN 1139-6415
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