




La Biennale of Venice, Restoration of Russia Pavilion
Project
Restoration
Location
Venice
Project year
2009-2010
Client
Private
Surface
550 mq
Designed by the Russian architect Alexej Shchusev, the pavilion was opened in 1914 as Russia’s exhibition venue in Venice during the Art and Architecture Biennale. The building is included in the “Piano Particolareggiato Giardini Biennale” of Municipality of Venice, and is listed by the Italian law D. Lgs. 42/2004. It is a rectangular building on two floors connected by an external staircase enclosed by a wrought iron gate, whose decorations were inspired by the original designs. There are three adjoining rooms on the first floor, the central one being the largest, communicating with the long terrace facing onto the lagoon. The restoration involves the main parts of the pavilion: slabs, floorings, external coatings, facades’ decorations. The entire roof is waterproof: a slate of ceramic tiles was laid in place of the original asbestos tiles. In particular, the glazed metal pyramid that covers the central part of the building, which is certainly the element with the greatest visual impact in the Giardini della Biennale, was replaced. It acts as a big skylight for the central room and is surmounted by a metal, double-headed eagle, reconstructed to the original designs. The particular care in the restoration of the decorative concrete elements on the entire perimeter wall and the meticulous conservative restoration of the painted plasters gave back the building its original appearance that can still be seen today.