migliore+servetto designs immersive, permanent exhibition for the human safety net's venice HQ

an immersive exhibition for thsn’s new headquarters

Italian architecture studio Migliore+Servetto has designed the new immersive headquarters of The Human Safety Net (THSN) organization in the recently renovated Procuratie Vecchie in the heart of Venice, Italy. The overall intervention articulates itself across extensive spheres, from interior and exhibition design, to curated digital content and interactions including graphic and multimedia design, carried out under the artistic direction of Davide Rampello.

With an innovative and experimental approach, the new interactive exhibition encapsulates the deeply human identity and values of the THSN initiative which seeks to help vulnerable communities and bring about lasting, sustainable change. Imagining the space as a welcoming, cultivating home where people can find inspiration and rich cognitive experiences, the architects’ concept generates sustainability, accessibility, and inclusivity, ‘weaving spaces, things, and people, through which stories and ideas flow.’

‘[THSN] project is characterized by the lightness with which it relates both to the city of Venice, an emblem of strong cultural identity and hospitality, and to the historic complex of the Procuratie that hosts it… The harmony between the parts is thus a basic element on which we have worked to build what we call a ‘nest space’, which represents the new sense of hospitality that THSN wants to promote,’ state architects Ico Migliore and Mara Servetto.

the new home for The Human Safety Net foundation in the heart of Venice | all images by Andrea Martiradonna

migliore+servetto honors venetian culture

Alongside Davide Rampello of Rampello & Partners, Migliore+Servetto divides the project into four distinct areas that encapsulate the THSN foundation’s mission and programmes, including an innovative exhibition path which offers visitors an immersive experience of the Generali Group Foundation and its activities, a café, a co-working area with functional activity zones, and event rooms that flank the auditorium.

Throughout, the project maintains a strong link to the city of Venice and its genius loci facilitated by collaboration with local craftsmen. To begin with, the project fosters a visual continuity with Piazza San Marco on which it sits. Further, the architects particularly emphasize the 100 sixteenth-century oculi that line the entire floor and overlook the vibrant square, giving a pictorial value to the whole and establishing a direct relationship with diverse Venice.

Some of the openings enhance the view through a technological enlargement system that, like Canaletto’s optical machines, allows visitors to immerse themselves in the life of the piazza through new forms of interaction. In addition, the installation ‘Window on Venice’ allows visitors to take a journey through time, exploring in 3D what various places of the city, such as the Giudecca, Rialto Bridge, Arsenale, and Burano, were like in the sixteenth century.

the recurring symbol of the table is an emblem of meeting and dialogue

Proposed by Davide Rampello, Venice’s fondness for the theatre also inspires the welcoming installation which has been handcrafted by the Carlo Colla Atelier and animated by sophisticated technology. The wooden puppets of Arlecchino, Pantalone and Colombina greet visitors and interact with them in both Italian and their own language as they step into the space, creating a warming moment of hospitality.

the exhibition encapsulates THSN’s identity and initiative to help vulnerable communities

fostering inclusivity and accessibility

The architects conceptualize the exhibition as a progression of experiences that develop according to a prologue, three acts, and an epilogue. The narrative guides visitors on a journey to explore their own potential, ‘starting from values such as creativity, kindness, perseverance, gratitude, curiosity, hope, social intelligence, and teamwork’. Migliore+Servetto translates these abstract concepts as 16 interactive display machines, both analogue and digital, which aim to generate diverse dialogue, reflection, and self-analysis from their audiences.

Beyond the THSN headquarters’ interior design, the project integrates new environmental graphics and wayfinding that guides visitors through the space. Connecting physical and digital experiences, the Italian studio has also created interactive installations and multimedia content while selecting curated contents fore the Art Studio temporary exhibition space.

Migliore+Servetto completes the interior and exhibition design, with curated digital content and interactions

Further, Migliore+Servetto have purpose-designed all of the space partitions and furniture to function in harmony with the existing structure, enhancing the division of the architectural volumes of the top floor of the Procuratie. The materiality in particular evokes the deep Venetian roots of the place. The typically Venetian bricole (oak wood poles used in the lagoon to mark the navigable paths) constitute the backbone of the installation for the exhibition path dedicated to team work, which alludes to the lagoon’s body of water. The café’s benches, made from natural wood, recall those of the historic Venetian cafés.

Moreover, the patterns of the carpets also rework traditional motifs such as the ornate arches of the Doge’s Palace or the murrine milllefiori. In the café and reception spaces, glass chandeliers made by Benvenuto Mastri Vetrai represent identity in dialogue with natural and artificial light.

‘There are three recurring symbols that connect the entire project: the table, the nest, and the mirror. Being emblematic of meeting and dialogue, the table is present in the interactive installations and in the social spaces, made from wood, metal or copper tubing and glass. The nest is a symbol of hospitality and bonds, and is recalled in the structures of the bookshelves, a sort of fil rouge that connects the social spaces and those dedicated to work,’ say architects Ico Migliore and Mara Servetto. ‘Finally, the mirror boasts a centuries-old tradition in Venice and recurs in the furnishings of the café and in various installations. It is an allegory of challenging oneself, of reflection, of consciousness.’

the materiality evokes the deep Venetian roots of the place

physical and digital experiences merge to form interactive installations

a prologue, three acts, and an epilogue generate an immersive progression of experiences

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project info:

name: The Home of The Human Safety Net
designer: Migliore+Servetto, Davide Rampello

location: Venice, Italy

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edited by: ravail khan | designboom