Venice Biennale: Central Pavilion Unveiled After Major Renovation

Just months before the 61st International Art Exhibition, the Venice Biennale has unveiled its comprehensively redeveloped Central Pavilion at the Giardini. This major structural overhaul, funded by the Ministry of Culture as part of the PNC – PNRR initiative, restores the building to its pivotal role as the heart of the international exhibition.

The project was managed by the Venice Biennale's Special Projects sector, led by architect Arianna Laurenzi. The design team included BUROMILAN – Milan Ingegneria, Rome-based studio Labics (Maria Claudia Clemente and Francesco Isidori), architect Fabio Fumagalli (for architecture), ia2 Studio Associato (for systems and fire prevention), and geologist Francesco Aucone.

The renovation, spanning 16 months from December 2024 to March 2026, was completed on schedule and within its €31 million budget.

The Central Pavilion's redevelopment represents one of the Biennale's most complex infrastructure projects, given both the building's significance and the tight timeline. However, its unveiling takes place amidst a charged atmosphere, marked by ongoing tensions within the Biennale itself and its relationship with politics and the international cultural sphere.

This event on March 19th follows a period of intense public scrutiny for the Venetian institution. Unresolved issues concerning Russia's and Israel's participation in the upcoming exhibition have fueled heated international debate, leading to various stances, withdrawals, and redefinitions. Furthermore, a letter signed by approximately 200 artists and curators involved with the Biennale has exposed internal divisions within the exhibition system. Concurrently, a growing divergence between the Biennale and the Ministry has become apparent, highlighted by Minister Alessandro Giuli's absence from both the Italian Pavilion presentation and today's Central Pavilion inauguration, where Vice Head of Cabinet Valerio Sarcone was present instead.

Despite these immediate challenges, the presented project is long-term in scope, part of the broader "Great Cultural Attractors" program. This initiative involves 22 operations across various Biennale sites, including the Giardini, Arsenale, Lido, Forte Marghera, and Albanian Park, aiming to strengthen the Biennale's infrastructure as a permanent platform for cultural production.

The Castello Gardens, located in eastern Venice, have been the historical home of the Biennale since its first International Art Exhibition in 1895. Conceived in the early 19th century as part of Napoleon's urban reorganization by Gian Antonio Selva, the Gardens gradually evolved into a complex of 29 national pavilions, showcasing 20th-century architecture by notable figures such as Alvar Aalto, Josef Hoffmann, Gerrit Rietveld, Sverre Fehn, and Carlo Scarpa.

At the heart of this complex stands the Central Pavilion, originally built between 1894 and 1895 as the Palazzo Pro Arte. It underwent several transformations throughout the 20th century, eventually becoming the Italian Pavilion. While retaining a national representative function, it continued to host the international exhibition, solidifying its role as the central exhibition hub.

A significant shift occurred in 1999 under Harald Szeemann, when the central exhibition was envisioned as a unified project entrusted to a single curator, distinct from the national pavilions. From that point, the building definitively became the primary venue for the international exhibition, formalized by its renaming to Central Pavilion in the early 2000s. Today, the Giardini complex covers approximately 51,000 square meters, with the Central Pavilion occupying over 5,400 square meters.

The architectural project tackled a historically layered building whose successive alterations had compromised its clarity over time. The redevelopment is a comprehensive re-envisioning of the structure for functional modernization. Spaces have been reorganized with a clear logic: the Sala Chini reverts to its role as the central distribution hub, while a sequence of services – including a bookshop, café, and educational spaces – are arranged around the exhibition halls, which are now conceived as neutral and flexible environments.

The intervention explicitly adopts a non-conservative approach. Rather than mere restoration, the project critically selected, organized, and interpreted the building's various historical phases, removing superfluous additions and restoring a new architectural unity. This "critical re-invention" harmonizes historical memory with contemporary needs. Historical elements, such as the window frames designed by Carlo Scarpa, have been restored and reincorporated, while the Sala Brenno del Giudice has been redesigned to recapture its original forms from the 1928 project.

Among the most distinctive features of the renovation are the new 'altane' – lightweight charred laminated timber structures – which open onto the Giardini, establishing a more direct relationship between the interior and exterior and fostering a dialogue with the Venetian landscape.

Technically, the project emphasizes total integration between architecture and building systems. All systems – including lighting, ventilation, and energy production – are incorporated within the building's envelope, leaving exhibition spaces uncluttered. New photovoltaic and diffusing glass skylights provide uniform natural light while contributing to the building's energy efficiency. The ultimate goal is LEED Gold certification, underscoring an approach that combines sustainability with spatial quality.

Immediately following its presentation, the Pavilion will enter the setup phase for the exhibition In Minor Keys, conceived by the late Koyo Kouoh and continued by the curatorial team, set to open to the public on May 9, 2026. This exhibition will serve as the first test for an architecture designed as a flexible space, capable of accommodating complex and evolving exhibition narratives.