HERITAGE & HISTORIC BUILDINGS PROJECT REPORT


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brands to come up with creative ways to organise their programme and visibility. This layout is highly unusual for a depart- ment store normally associated with open plan spaces and easily visible signage and merchandise. Conversely, the requirement to preserve the existing windows in the facade helped open up the building to the city, giving shoppers views of surrounding architecture and the sparkling waters of the Grand Canal.


Further spatial constraints came into play when trying to incorporate a plethora of complex M&E systems associated with a department store. Service runs in the ground and third floor commercial spaces are concealed in ceiling or floor voids, but this was not possible on intermediate floors, where instead ducts and cables are exposed as a separate architectural component. OMA was always keen to create an attractive destination for locals, not just a ‘profit generating machine’ for tourism. Venice has suffered from a shrinking local


population in recent years as a result of tourism and escalating property prices, population levels in the historic island centre have reduced from around 250,000 in the 1960s to just 58,000 today. “When the client originally approached


us, they wanted to transform the Fondaco into a luxury hotel,” says Laparelli. “We thought that was a bit of a sad prospect because hotels are purely for tourists and it would have made the building inaccessible for many people. In contrast, the Fondaco has publically accessible spaces, like the pavilion and courtyard used for concerts and exhibitions, and commercial compo- nents related to food and crafts.” In this respect, OMA took its inspiration from existing consolidated department stores, like Selfridges, in London, and Le Bon Marché, in Paris. But perhaps the building’s current function is not so impor- tant, given its long and chequered history, perhaps all that matters is it remains a bold and recognisable presence on the banks of the Grand Canal.


Photographs by Delfino Sisto Legnani and Marco Cappelletti, courtesy of OMA


DESIGN TEAM


Client: Edizione Architects: OMA Architect partners: Rem Koolhaas, Ippolito Pestellini Laparelli Preservation architect: TA architettura Interiors architect: Jamie Fobert Structural engineer: Tecnobrevetti MEP engineer: Politecnica Ingeg- neria e Architettura Fire safety advisor: Sicurtecno Cost consultant: GAD Main contractor: Sacaim Lighting: Viabizzuno


ADF FEBRUARY 2017


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