Located on the island of San Giorgio Maggiore in Venice, this existing pool building has been converted and expanded to house a preservation lab and exhibition space focused on material deterioration and decay. This project is a commentary on the negative ways water has affected the built environment in Venice. It points to the glass making and tourist industries as the origin of decay caused by acid rain, air pollution, and flooding, most of which are challenges faced by this building.
A conservation lab is placed in the former pool, positioned next to a desalination tank where smaller building materials and objects are cleaned. Exhibition spaces attach to the rear of the building, with orientation dictated by the direction of the driving rain. Made from common building materials used in Venice, the walls of the building are exposed and encouraged to decay – with visitors observing from the protruded spaces. Replicas of artifacts are embedded within these walls, with pathways carved out, allowing rainwater to dribble down and hit the objects in a controlled manner before trickling down to the channel in the floor below.
These narrow channels provide a path for visitors to follow, before eventually filtering out into the harbor beyond.
