China | 14th Venice Architecture Biennale

Mountains beyond mountains | Pavilion of the People’s Republic of China

The pavilion of the People’s Republic of China at the 14th Architecture Biennale of Venice is housed at the Arsenale inside the Magazzino delle Cisterne with additional outdoor space at the adjoining Giardino delle Vergini. The exhibition layout is formed by a matrix defined horizontally by tiles made of a recycled composite material, which also act as support for the various contents and identify the floor space of the different thematic sections, and vertically by quivering partitions realized with white fabric ribbons.

The space was collectively designed by three architectural teams that, working on the idea of the relationship between different persons, defined their collaboration by adopting the Chinese principle of the “mountains beyond mountains”.
Relationships are the inspiring theme of the entire pavilion. Since the site is symbolic of the division between house (the enclosed space of the Magazzino) and yard (the open-air space at the Giardino), the project was focused on three objectives: a) to break the separation between house and courtyard as well as between indoor and outdoor; b) to create a cluster architecture by multiplying number of points of interest as well as their typology; c) to propose the idea of a “fractal” advancement of the world by setting up a progressive sequence of surprising spaces.
The final result is a truly fascinating succession, defined by a dynamic concatenation of both relaxing and enthralling areas.

Photos by Inexhibit