Taking Care. Italy at the 15th Venice Architecture Biennale

“Taking Care. Designing for The Common Good”, installation view; photo © Inexhibit 2016

15° Venice Architecture Biennale | Italian Pavilion

The curators of Taking Care. Designing for The Common Good, the exhibition in the Italian Pavilion at the 15th Venice Architecture Biennale focused on the architecture which “takes care of people, places, principles, and resources” by showcasing projects based on collaborative processes involving different groups of people sharing the same objectives.
The exhibition is divided into three main sections entitled Thinking, Meeting, and Acting.

The first part, entitled “Thinking. A map of the common good“, presents a reflection on the meaning of “common good” developed by a multidisciplinary team that included sociologists, architecture critics, experts of economy and ethical finance, and urban planners.

The second section, entitled “Meeting. 20 examples of outer city living” is a selection of 20 projects of community architecture, designed by Italian architects, related to ten themes: legality, health, living, culture, play, environment, education, science, nutrition, and work.

“Meeting. 20 examples of outer city living”, installation views; photos © Inexhibit 2016

“Acting – 5+5+5. Project for Joint Action“, the third section of the exhibition, features 5 projects developed in collaboration with five Italian associations involved in fighting social marginality in suburban areas.
The outcome was five mobile containers (called “devices”), financed through private sponsorships and crowdfunding, conceived “to bring quality, beauty, and rights where they are currently absent”, and developed through a collaboration between designers and selected associations.

“5+5+5. Project for Joint action”, installation views, photos © Inexhibit 2016

The “devices”, each presented inside a large timber box, are U.M.A., Environmental Monitoring Unit (Green box) by the Legambiente nonprofit organization, Campolibero (Legality box) by Libera – Associations, names and numbers against mafias; biblioHub (Culture box) by AIB – Italian Library Association; Articolo 10 (Health box) by the Emergency NGO; and TO MOVEs Torino by UISP – Italian Union Sport for All (Sport Box).

U.M.A., Environmental Monitoring Unit (Green box) by the Legambiente; photos © Inexhibit 2016

biblioHub (Culture box) by AIB – Italian Library Association; photo © Inexhibit 2016

Articolo 10 (Health box) by the Emergency NGO; photos © Inexhibit 2016

Campolibero (Legality box) by Libera – Associations, names, and numbers against mafias; photo © Inexhibit 2016