The Procuratie Vecchie of Venice completes its renovation by David Chipperfield
11/04/2022.
[Venice] Italy
metalocus, JOSÉ JUAN BARBA
metalocus, JOSÉ JUAN BARBA
After more than five years of intense work, led by David Chipperfield, last week was celebrated a ceremony for the re-opening of the Procuratie Vecchie on the north side of Piazza San Marco in Venice, one of the most recognizable squares in the world.
Saint Mark’s Square, besides being one of the world’s most recognisable squares, is an extraordinary and explicit demonstration of ordered public space defined on three of its four sides by the Procuratie Vecchie, the Procuratie Nuove and Procuratie Nuovissime.
The Procuratie Vecchie was developed along the entire North side of the square, in the first half of the Sixteenth Century, under the "Renovatio Urbis" programme of the Doge of the Republic of Venice, Andrea Gritti and involved three architects, Mauro Codussi, and Bartolomeo Bon and Jacopo Sansovino, establishing the language that would later be developed on the west and south sides of the square.
Saint Mark’s Square, besides being one of the world’s most recognisable squares, is an extraordinary and explicit demonstration of ordered public space defined on three of its four sides by the Procuratie Vecchie, the Procuratie Nuove and Procuratie Nuovissime.
The Procuratie Vecchie was developed along the entire North side of the square, in the first half of the Sixteenth Century, under the "Renovatio Urbis" programme of the Doge of the Republic of Venice, Andrea Gritti and involved three architects, Mauro Codussi, and Bartolomeo Bon and Jacopo Sansovino, establishing the language that would later be developed on the west and south sides of the square.
Procuratie Vecchie of Venice renovation by David Chipperfield. Photograph by Alessandra Chemollo
Procuratie Vecchie of Venice renovation by David Chipperfield. Photograph by Richard Davis
Procuratie Vecchie of Venice renovation by David Chipperfield. Photograph by Alessandra Chemollo
Procuratie Vecchie of Venice renovation by David Chipperfield. Photograph by Alberto Parise.
Procuratie Vecchie of Venice renovation by David Chipperfield. Photograph by Alessandra Chemollo
Procuratie Vecchie of Venice renovation by David Chipperfield. Photograph by Alessandra Chemollo
Procuratie Vecchie of Venice renovation by David Chipperfield. Photograph by Alberto Parise.
Procuratie Vecchie of Venice renovation by David Chipperfield. Photograph by Alberto Parise.
Procuratie Vecchie of Venice renovation by David Chipperfield. Photograph by Alberto Parise.
Procuratie Vecchie of Venice renovation by David Chipperfield. Photograph by Alberto Parise.
Procuratie Vecchie of Venice renovation by David Chipperfield. Photograph by Alberto Parise.
Procuratie Vecchie of Venice renovation by David Chipperfield. Photograph by Alberto Parise.
Procuratie Vecchie of Venice renovation by David Chipperfield. Photograph by Alberto Parise.
Procuratie Vecchie of Venice renovation by David Chipperfield. Photograph by Alessandra Chemollo
Procuratie Vecchie of Venice renovation by David Chipperfield. Photograph by Alessandra Chemollo
Procuratie Vecchie of Venice renovation by David Chipperfield. Photograph by Alessandra Chemollo
Procuratie Vecchie of Venice renovation by David Chipperfield. Photograph by Alessandra Chemollo
Procuratie Vecchie of Venice renovation by David Chipperfield. Photograph by Alberto Parise.
Procuratie Vecchie of Venice renovation by David Chipperfield. Photograph by Alberto Parise.
Procuratie Vecchie of Venice renovation by David Chipperfield. Photograph by Alessandra Chemollo
Procuratie Vecchie of Venice renovation by David Chipperfield. Photograph by Alberto Parise.
Procuratie Vecchie of Venice renovation by David Chipperfield. Photograph by Alberto Parise.
Site plan. Procuratie Vecchie of Venice renovation by David Chipperfield.
Ground floor plan. Procuratie Vecchie of Venice renovation by David Chipperfield.
First floor plan. Procuratie Vecchie of Venice renovation by David Chipperfield.
Second floor plan. Procuratie Vecchie of Venice renovation by David Chipperfield.
Third floor plan. Procuratie Vecchie of Venice renovation by David Chipperfield.
Fourth floor plan. Procuratie Vecchie of Venice renovation by David Chipperfield.
Roof plan. Procuratie Vecchie of Venice renovation by David Chipperfield.
South elevation. Procuratie Vecchie of Venice renovation by David Chipperfield.
Section. Procuratie Vecchie of Venice renovation by David Chipperfield.
Drawings historical elevation of Piazza San Marco. Procuratie Vecchie of Venice renovation by David Chipperfield.
Ground and first floor plan. Procuratie Vecchie of Venice renovation by David Chipperfield.
Second, third and fourth floor plan. Procuratie Vecchie of Venice renovation by David Chipperfield.
Model. Procuratie Vecchie of Venice renovation by David Chipperfield.
Model. Procuratie Vecchie of Venice renovation by David Chipperfield.
Model. Procuratie Vecchie of Venice renovation by David Chipperfield.
Model. Procuratie Vecchie of Venice renovation by David Chipperfield.
The project, developed by David Chipperfield Architects Milan and commissioned by Generali, repairs, reunifies and adapts the sixteenth-century structure and its complex successive modifications while integrating them with a series of new interventions to create a more coherent whole.
David Chipperfield Architects Milan developed an idea of design that is not defined by a single architectural concept, but rather by a series of Interventions that address the complexity of the work: the renovation of the first and second floors, where the offices of the Generali insurance company will be situated, the reorganisation of accessibility and usability through the inclusion of new vertical circulation (staircases and elevators), and the renovation of the third floor, with public access to the exhibition spaces as well as workspaces, event spaces and an auditorium.
Renderings. Procuratie Vecchie of Venice renovation by David Chipperfield.
The structure was restored, recovering original elements and characteristics, while the interior spaces are reunited, using ancient, local and traditional construction techniques and made use of artisanal craftsmanship for the flooring, walling and ceiling, using pastellone (1) and terrazzo (2), marmorino and scialbatura, but also cocciopesto (3) and cotton, to give the whole a unified image.
In addition to housing offices and co-working spaces for Generali and The Human Safety Net – the company’s global social initiative – the building will host exhibitions and events, opening areas to the public for the first time in its history. Through this new programme, the project seeks to re-embed the Procuratie Vecchie into the city, supporting Venice as a living place of activity, innovation and social purpose.
David Chipperfield Architects Milan developed an idea of design that is not defined by a single architectural concept, but rather by a series of Interventions that address the complexity of the work: the renovation of the first and second floors, where the offices of the Generali insurance company will be situated, the reorganisation of accessibility and usability through the inclusion of new vertical circulation (staircases and elevators), and the renovation of the third floor, with public access to the exhibition spaces as well as workspaces, event spaces and an auditorium.
Renderings. Procuratie Vecchie of Venice renovation by David Chipperfield.
The structure was restored, recovering original elements and characteristics, while the interior spaces are reunited, using ancient, local and traditional construction techniques and made use of artisanal craftsmanship for the flooring, walling and ceiling, using pastellone (1) and terrazzo (2), marmorino and scialbatura, but also cocciopesto (3) and cotton, to give the whole a unified image.
In addition to housing offices and co-working spaces for Generali and The Human Safety Net – the company’s global social initiative – the building will host exhibitions and events, opening areas to the public for the first time in its history. Through this new programme, the project seeks to re-embed the Procuratie Vecchie into the city, supporting Venice as a living place of activity, innovation and social purpose.
Procuratie Vecchie of Venice renovation by David Chipperfield. Photograph by Alberto Parise.
Project description by David Chipperfield Architects Milan
Saint Mark’s Square, besides being one of the world’s most recognisable squares, is an extraordinary and explicit demonstration of ordered public space defined on three of its four sides by the Procuratie Vecchie, the Procuratie Nuove and Procuratie Nuovissime.
The Procuratie Vecchie was developed along the entire North side of the square, in the first half of the Sixteenth Century, under the renovatio urbis programme of the Doge of the Republic of Venice, Andrea Gritti and involved three architects, Mauro Codussi, and Bartolomeo Bon and Jacopo Sansovino, establishing the modern ancient language adopted by the subsequent developments of the other Procuratie of the other Procuratie on the other West and South sides of the square.
Generali, which just began its life in the Procuratie Vecchie and which it has acquired almost entirely over the years, has set as its goal to bring the Procuratie Vecchie into a more engaged relationship with the city of Venice, through the activities of The Human Safety Net, Generali’s foundation situated on the third attic floor, a large part of the Procuratie Vecchie made accessible to the public for the first time in a half-century.
David Chipperfield Architects Milan developed an idea for project which is not defined by a single architectural gesture, but rather by a series of Interventions that address the complexity of the work through a flexible approach in order to interpret and make sense of both historical modifications and practical adaptations of the Procuratie Vecchie.
The Interventions include the Restoration of the first and second floors, where the most prestigious offices of the Generali insurance company are situated, the Reorganisation of accessibility and usability through the inclusion of new vertical circulation, and the Renovation of the third floor, with public access to the exhibition spaces as well as workspaces, event spaces and an auditorium linked to The Human Safety Net.
The Interventions looked to ancient, local and traditional construction techniques and made use of artisanal craftsmanship for the flooring, walling and ceiling, using pastellone and terrazzo, marmorino and scialbatura, but also cocciopesto and cotto, seeking not to impose but rather to inherit, in order to complete into a single whole and reclaim the integrity of what has been present for hundreds of years in probably the most representative place in Venice.
NOTES.-
1. By David Chipperfield Architects.- Pastellone or Sommassa: A Paving or type of Flooring for interiors of ancient origin, a forerunner of Venetian Terrazzo, that was already used in Roman times and which became particularly popular in the Sixteenth Century in Venice (as well as in the Nineteenth Century). Pastellone or Sommassa generally means a smooth Lime Flooring, similar to marble, and is particularly suitable for making a monobloc (monolithic and monochromatic) of walkable surfaces.
The Flooring is made of very simple materials and is a mixture of various aggregates including gravel, crushed bricks, scraps and Slaked Lime (which is then beaten and rolled until completely bedded down). It is a type of Flooring carried out by hand by craftsmen and results in a compact surface that is particularly durable (as well as smooth and shiny) and slaked since the Lime, a natural material mixed with pigments and powders, allows a wide range of colors to be obtained and is called Lime Flooring.
The First Layer is the Foundation and is composed of a mixture of Slaked Lime and a variety of large, recycled aggregates (which are leveled, beaten and compacted down), while the Second Layer, the Amalgam, is a mixture of neutral colour composed of powdered marble and Slaked Lime or Hydrated Lime (applied in several coats and smoothed with a trowel).
The Flooring is made of very simple materials and is a mixture of various aggregates including gravel, crushed bricks, scraps and Slaked Lime (which is then beaten and rolled until completely bedded down). It is a type of Flooring carried out by hand by craftsmen and results in a compact surface that is particularly durable (as well as smooth and shiny) and slaked since the Lime, a natural material mixed with pigments and powders, allows a wide range of colors to be obtained and is called Lime Flooring.
The First Layer is the Foundation and is composed of a mixture of Slaked Lime and a variety of large, recycled aggregates (which are leveled, beaten and compacted down), while the Second Layer, the Amalgam, is a mixture of neutral colour composed of powdered marble and Slaked Lime or Hydrated Lime (applied in several coats and smoothed with a trowel).
Renderings. Procuratie Vecchie of Venice renovation by David Chipperfield.
2. By David Chipperfield Architects.- Terrazzo or Seminato: A Paving or type of Flooring for interiors that is typical of the Venetian and Triveneto area and is more commonly known as Venetian Terrazzo or Seminato Flooring (wrought in sow Venetian Style). Terrazzo or Seminato generally refers to a monolithic Flooring realized with many small fragments.
The Flooring contains small grit/granules of stone, marble, clay and glass held together by a cementitious binder of Lime, fine grit and fine clay (which is then pressed and polished). It is a type of Flooring that necessitates meticulous and expert work carried out by craftsmen (Terrazzieri) using the same techniques that have remained unchanged from the Sixteenth Century to this day.
The First Layer is the substrate composed of a mixture of materials comprising earthenware fragments and chippings (which are spread and smoothed); the Second Layer is composed of the same materials (which are pressed and leveled); the Third Layer contains pit lime (also enhanced with pigments); the Fourth Layer is composed of a special paste that is spread over the surface to hold together the Granules, and is necessary for Decorated Seminato but not for Simple Seminato. The gaps of the last Layer are grouted (with rollers and other tools) to form a smooth and compact surface (Smoothing) and this Layer is then first polished (with boiled linseed oil) and then polished again (with wax).
3. By David Chipperfield Architects.- Cocciopesto or Coccio–pesto. It is a type of wall Cladding or a type of Flooring devised for the purpose of protecting against moisture or for decoration, which was already in use in Roman times (as a mixture of lime, sand, pozzolan and brick).
This Cladding or Flooring is made of a mixture of fragments of crushed bricks and tiles that is mixed as an aggregate with Aerial Lime. The Cocciopesto is laid in several compact Layers characterized by different grain sizes that are however homogeneous and which are beaten and moistened several times.
The Cocciopesto Cladding or Flooring cannot be considered a simple plaster because, if used in significant Layers, it has mechanical characteristics similar to a Conglomerate. It is composed by craftsmen to obtain a very compact surface that is particularly solid.
The Cocciopesto Flooring has similarities with Seminato or Venetian Terrazzo with the difference that the material consists for the most part of fragments of crushed earthenware from recycled materials or waste.
Artificial Pozzolans composed of baked clay (Incoherent Tuff) unlike Natural Pozzolans composed of volcanic tuff (Coherent Tuff), are held together by a mortar binder (without additives) composed of Slaked Lime or Hydrated Lime, cocciopesto, sand and water.
The First Layer is composed of a mix of materials (which is leveled and beaten); the Second Layer is composed of a sand-free mixture to obtain a flat surface (which is smoothed with trowel and then grouted, polished and waxed).
More information
Architects
David Chipperfield Architects, Milan, Italy.
Partners.- David Chipperfield, Giuseppe Zampieri.
Associate Director.- Cristiano Billia.
Associates.- Adolfo Berardozzi, Andrea Cocco, Carlo Zucchia.
Partners.- David Chipperfield, Giuseppe Zampieri.
Associate Director.- Cristiano Billia.
Associates.- Adolfo Berardozzi, Andrea Cocco, Carlo Zucchia.
Project Team
Simone Diego Alessi, Federica Amoruso, Thomas Benk, Corrado Bongiorno, Cecilia Bottoni, Niccolò Brussa, Teresa Cancellari, Marta Capacciola, Francesca Carino, Filippo Carcano, Francesca Carino, Carlo Federico Cattò, Fabiano Cocozza, Maria Elena Codazzi, Paolo Dell‘Elce, Stefano Goffi, Tsukasa Goto, Samuel Lodetti, Eugenio Matteazzi, Tommaso Meena, Daniel Mira García, Sofia Nobis, Brigid O’Donnell, Stefano Penazzi, Matthijs Sioen, Tiziana Staffieri, Davide Tassera, Federico Turelli, Wouter Verstraete, Maria Chiara Virgili.
Competition team
Cosmin Amato, Pietro Bagnoli, Corrado Bongiorno, Cecilia Bottoni, Filippo Carcano, Carlo Federico Cattò, Tommaso Certo, Fabiano Cocozza, Maria Elena Codazzi, Federica Corrà, Paolo Dell‘Elce, Tsukasa Goto, Nicola Guercilena, Seunggeun Jee, Chiara Lippi, Eugenio Matteazzi, Gabriele Pagani, Paolo Volpetti, Federica Zerbo.
In collaboration with David Chipperfield Architects, Berlin: Thomas Benk, Anke Fritzsch, Christopher Jonas Zero4Uno Ingegneria srl, Venice, Italy: Romeo Scarpa Franco Gazzarri Architetto, Mestre, Italy.
In collaboration with David Chipperfield Architects, Berlin: Thomas Benk, Anke Fritzsch, Christopher Jonas Zero4Uno Ingegneria srl, Venice, Italy: Romeo Scarpa Franco Gazzarri Architetto, Mestre, Italy.
Collaborators
Project coordinator.- Generali Real Estate SpA – SGR, Artelia.
Structural and services engineer.- Arup.
Lighting consultant.- Viabizzuno.
Structural and services engineer.- Arup.
Lighting consultant.- Viabizzuno.
Client
Generali Real Estate S.p.A., Milano.
General contractor
SACAIM.
Area
GFA.- 5,200m².
Overall area.- 11,890 m².
Dates
Competition.- September 2016–July 2017.
Planning.- July 2017–July 2019.
Completion date.- May 2019–February 2022.
Planning.- July 2017–July 2019.
Completion date.- May 2019–February 2022.
Location
Piazza San Marco 107, Venice, Italy.
Photography
Alessandra Chemollo, Richard Davies, Alberto Parise.
David Chipperfield
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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