Venice

The Palazzo Grassi is situated in Venice (Italy) and inaugurated in 2006 and 2009. Palazzo Grassi and Punta della Dogana are the two contemporary art museums of the Pinault Collection in Venice. The building, where personal and collective exhibitions are shown, has been renovated by the Japanese architect Tadao Ando. Palazzo Grassi aims to share with the public the knowledge and love for contemporary art through the extraordinary Pinault Collection and to strengthen the priviledged relationship the institution has developed with artists, especially thanks to works specifically conceived for its exhibition spaces. Since May 2013, the Teatrino di Palazzo Grassi complements this artistic and cultural programme. Conceived by Tadao Ando, this 2... More

Located in the picturesque Cannaregio district, in the heart of the historic center of Venice, the two levels of the unit are connected by an internal staircase which also gives access to a terrace overlooking the city skyline.   The project stems from the desire to maintain and enhance the typical characteristics of Venetian architecture starting from the materials, first of all the Venetian terrazzo which is the common thread of the various environments. The existing wooden structures have been emphasized, bringing back their structural importance.   It was therefore decided to introduce a few strong design elements to redefine spaces and rationalizing their use. A colorful sign unfolds in the details of the project that links the various... More

Constructed in several phases from 1884 to 1895, ever since Molino Stucky has dominated the Giudecca Canal with its massive volume. An outstanding testimony of industrial archaeology, for over seventy years this neo-Gothic building was at the avant-garde as a steam-driven mill. In the nineteen fifties it began its great decline, until it was totally restructured and transformed into a five-star hotel that opened in 2007. Not only the restoration of the brick walls, but also the replacement of the doors and windows was the object of intensive study regarding the transformation of the building to its new use, with the high quality performance requirements this entailed. The 1950 original doors and windows in slim iron-window, without sealin... More

Located in a strategic point from where the city interactswith the lagoon, Punta della Dogana, transformed in the17th century from salt storage into ancient mercantile customsof Serenissima, is a triangular shaped building, like the prowof a ship, which is dominated by an imposing sculptural group:a bronze sphere held by two statues of atlas and toppedby Lady Luck who rotates in the direction of the wind.In 2009, the former customs house, under the instructionof the François Pinault Foundation, was the subject of anew transformation. The project patronised by Tadao Ando,preserves the original architecture, yet reconfigures the spaceto convert it into a contemporary art centre. The modulationof natural light and the originality of the... More

The monumental complex housing Gallerie dell’Accademia includes the church and monastery of Santa Maria della Carità and the same-named Scuola Grande. From Palladio and Selva to Carlo Scarpa, great architects have worked here ever since its foundation in the thirteenth century, up to the Napoleonic edict – when it was transformed into the Academy of Fine Arts with annexed Galleries - until the recent expansion of the exhibition spaces by the authorities. Once the Academy was moved, from 2005 to 2015 extensive, delicate work was carried out to increase the museum surface area from 5,000 to 12,000 square metres. Included in the restoration and retrofitting projects was the replacement of the doors and windows – with t... More

Designed by celebrated firm, Stephen Vitalich Architects, this Broadway project called for four loft style single family residences developed as a small lot subdivision. Steven used Western’s Series 600 Multi-Slide doors to make each residence feel larger.Indoor/outdoor living that included a roof deck was greatly encouraged by doors that slide and stack to the side to open up multiple rooms to enjoy the outdoors. When we look at his project, we like to call it “urban space exploration”. What phenomenal work. More

(2018 Venice Architecture Biennale, Palazzo Bembo, Venice, Italy)  The exhibition documented current developments and thoughts in architecture, highlighting fundamental questions by discussing the philosophical concepts Time, Space and Existence. BEHF Architects participated with two projects: TELEGRAF 7 Office JP Immobilien and LLOONBASE 36 Headquarters. The exhibition installation took visitors on a historical journey through architectural models, concepts, photographs and movies. It traced the factor “time” in the two listed buildings and showcased their spatial development. Simultaneously, this immersive exhibition explored the aspects of our human existence and explained the dynamic changes of human life over time within... More

An island becomes a 266 rooms hotel. Deep in nature and history, gazing at the Venice Lagoon-scape. Water, slowness and silence. Ten minutes by boat from San Marco. More

OMA’s restoration of the 16th Century Fondaco dei Tedeschi in Venice is complete. Commissioned by the Benetton family in 2009 to transform the 9,000m2 building into a department store, now under a leasing agreement with Hong Kong-based DFS. OMA has finished its work and transferred the building to DFS for their retail it out. First constructed in 1228, and located at the foot of the Rialto Bridge across from the sh market, the Fondaco dei Tedeschi is one of Venice’s largest and most recognizable buildings. It was used as a trading post for German merchants, a customs house under Napoleon, and a post office under Mussolini. Depicted by Canaletto and other masters, and photographed countless times as the impressive but anonymous backdrop o... More