VENICE HISTORICAL ARCHIVE OF CONTEMPORARY ART – ASAC

The two buildings are located near the entrance from Campo della Tana and extend for about 200 meters as a single structure, the result of renovations dating from the 16th century to the 20th century. Since 2022, the City of Venice has entrusted their management to La Biennale di Venezia.

The project unites the two complexes into a single structure of approximately 6,500 square meters, divided into two areas that correspond to the two operational and funding phases. To the west, in the Magazzini del Ferro, are the spaces open to the public: the ASAC heritage consultation rooms, the archive offices, multipurpose and exhibition spaces, and a new restaurant. To the east, in the former workshops—reserved for staff—are the large multimedia archive and the laboratories for the documentation and restoration of materials. For the first time, the Arsenale is hosting cultural production activities that extend beyond the months of the exhibitions.

Preserving the authenticity of the buildings guided every structural decision: altering the original structures as little as possible, maintaining their historical layers, and always opting for the least invasive solution. The project was preceded by an in-depth survey campaign, which provided a thorough understanding of the masonry, floor slabs, and roofing and allowed the intervention criteria to be tailored to this knowledge.

The existing foundations proved to be solid, uniform, and still compatible with the new functions. To prevent them from shifting in the event of an earthquake, a 100-mm-thick reinforced concrete floor slab was installed and connected to the existing structures. The masonry was consolidated using the “sew and unsew” technique, reusing the original bricks as much as possible, and where necessary, reinforced with reinforced plaster on the interior side, so as to preserve the exposed brick facing on the exterior; steel corbels at the top connect the walls.