CROATIA’S ”FLOATING PAVILION” FOR THE 12TH INTERNATIONAL ARCHITECTURE BIENNALE IN VENICE, ITALY
image courtesy pavilion.hr
photo by zelimir grzancic
For the event of this year’s venice architecture biennale, croatia has designed
and built a floating pavilion on an existing barge to be tugged by a tow boat
to the site of the international event. Constructed out of 32 tons of steel,
the structure’s form is defined by a methodical system consisting of over 40 layers
of welded Q385 wire mesh. Each layer contours at varying depths and lengths
to create a carved out space which plays with different transparencies, densities,
and vision lines. Despite the solid and heavy materials, the resulting effect is
a blurring of form;at a distance, the pavilion conveys elements of fragility and lightness.
the project is a collaborative effort by 14 croatian architects and members
of the local maritime industry.
However, despite the relatively short journey from croatia to venice,
the pavilion experienced structural problems and never made it to the italian site.
