Each year, temporary exhibitions relating to art and architecture take place around the globe. Given their temporal nature, the lifecycle of exhibition structures often runs from preliminary concept to demolition, the latter phase producing tonnes of construction and demolition waste each year.
To promote a transition towards a circular economy, the MePart program spearheaded by Barman Architects aims to provide secondary life options for temporary installations and structures produced by the world’s largest cultural exhibitions.
MePart started by re-introducing waste from temporary exhibitions that took place in the historic centre of Venice into urban regeneration programs that focus on an improvement in the quality of public space. The first pilot project of MePart was completed in 2021. It involves the upcycling of an installation forming part of the Dutch Pavilion at the 16th International Architecture Exhibition, Biennale Architettura 2018.
Originally situated on the outside of the Giardini of Biennale area, the relatively large installation was made up of rusted metal sheets. At the end of the Biennale, rather than heading to the landfill, the installation was dismantled, catalogued, and then redesigned as an open-air museum in Corbola.
Now standing in the industrial area of Via Lazzara, the installation enhances the archaeological route of the Via Popila and demonstrates how it is possible to find new ways of combining cultural production and development to develop sustainable growth.
