2010 Venice Architecture Biennale

The 12th International Architecture Exhibition, directed by Kazuyo Sejima, will run in Venice 29th August to 21st November 2010. Twenty-four innovative submissions have been accepted for the Australian exhibition at the 2010 Venice Architecture Biennale. Three Darwinist designers have broken Perth's drought of architectural recognition by being short listed for the Australian Pavilion at the prestigious Venice Architecture Biennale. More than 100 entries were received for the national 'Ideas for Australia's Cities 2050+' competition, run by the Australian Institute of Architects' 2010 Venice Architecture Biennale creative directors, John Gollings and Ivan Rijavec. The team's two-part 'Now + When Australian Urbanism' exhibition will highlight three of Australia's most interesting urban regions as they are 'Now', before dramatically representing around seven futuristic urban environments from the competition as they may be 'When' we reach 2050 and beyond. To know more visit the official website

Explore Venice Venice is full of famous, instantly recognisable attractions, the main attractions here is the city itself. This is the city built on water, divided by canals, bridges and without a vehicle in sight. A great place to start your journey is in the San Marco district, home to the city’s best known square. Piazza San Marco, and two of its best known attractions, Basilico di San Marco and Palazzo Ducale. The Dorsoduro district is the place to visit for the architecture buffs among you, while the neighbourhood of San Polo is home to the Museum of Modern Art and the second largest square in Venice – Campo San Polo. Cannaregio houses the world’s first officially recognised ghetto and in Castello you will find the trio of churches – Santa Maria dei Miracoli, Santa Maria Formosa and San Zaccaria. And so it continues. You probably get the picture by now. Not everything there is to see in Venice is in the main areas around the Grand Canal. Other islands in the city such as Murano (famous for glass making), Burano (famous for lace-making) and Lido (famous for its beach) should be visited too.
Key Attractions:

Basilica San Marco Modelled on the Church of the 12 Apostles in Constantinople, construction of St Mark's Basilica began in 1063 after the original burnt down in 976. Highlights include St Mark's Treasure and the view over Campo San Marco from the balcony.

Rialto Bridge (Ponte di Rialto) Serving as the heart of the city for over four hundred years, the Rialto Bridge which has been built seven times, consists of three walkways – two along the outer balustrades and one in the centre which is surrounded on both sides by small shops which are perfect for the ever eager to shop tourists selling linen, glass, jewelry and the like. And, it couldn’t be easier to find thanks to its location so close to the train station and the Piazzale Roma.

Doge's Palace Initially built as a castle in the 9th century, 'Palazzo Ducale' is a Venetian Gothic building that was home to the Doge (Duke), the highest political figure in Venice. It was also the city's political hub for centuries. Today it's Venice's most popular attraction.

Galleria Dell'Accademia One of the top three tourist attractions in the city (along with the Palazzo Ducale and the basilica), this gallery contains an incredible collection of Venetian art including Titian’s Pieta, Bellini’s Madonna Enthroned and Paolo Veronese’s Christ in the House of Levi (originally known as The Last Supper). Most of the works in the original gallery were those taken from churches and convents who were under attack at time. Entrance to the Galleria Dell’Accademia is limited to 300 at a time so lunch time is a good time to visit the twenty four separate rooms housing hundreds of works of art but ensure that you squeeze it in at some stage during your stay.

Palazzo Ducale Once serving as the official residence of the doge – the city’s governing council - it also was a place to show off the art and architecture of the time. As well as this it housed offices, courts and the city’s infamous prison cells. For the most interesting tour of the palace check out the Secret Trails of the Palazzo Ducale. Costing about €13 these guided tours begin at 10.30am, are now taking place in English and let you see secret and hidden passage ways and chambers which are not included on any of the other tours.

Ca' d'Oro Built in the early fifteenth century, the ‘House of Gold’ is a typical gothic piece of architecture. Extensively restored by Baron Franchetti in the early twentieth, the building itself quite often overshadows the works of art stored inside. In fact many argue that the most impressive part of the whol Ca’ d’Oro is its façade and for the best view, you really should see it from the water. Once inside, however, you certainly won’t be disappointed either with tiled courtyards, some wonderful works of art by Titian, Mantegna and their counterparts and one of the finest views of the Grand Canal in the city.

Campanile di San Marco Built back in the 10th century, the campanile or bell tower collapsed suddenly on July 14th 1902. The only hint of things to come for the locals were the strange sounds emitted by the bell the previous evening. The belfry was completely rebuilt in the decade that followed, however, and is now perfectly safe to climb but for the lazier among you the even better news is that there is an elevator all the way to the top. The scene from the top is breathtaking offering some amazing views of the basilica as well as the rooftops of Venice so don’t forget your camera.

The Ghetto The Venetian Ghetto or The Ghetto Nuovo came into being in 1516 when all the Jewish residents of Venice were moved to this island and it is widely regarded as the first ghetto in the world. Once the Jews had been moved they were not allowed to leave and were guarded by Christian guards. They were also forced to wear distinctive clothing and hats and they paid the wages of the guards who kept them imprisoned in the Ghetto Nuovo. Today the walls that kept them confined don’t exist anymore but there is still plenty to see for visitors to the ghetto.

Santi Giovanni e Paolo The Basilica di San Giovanni e Paolo, known in the Venetian dialect as San Zanipolo, is a church in Venice, northern Italy. One of the largest churches in the city, it has the status of a minor basilica. A huge brick edifice built in the Italian Gothic style, it is the principal Dominican church of Venice, and as such was built for preaching to large congregations. It is dedicated to John and Paul, not the Biblical Apostles of the same names, but two obscure martyrs of the Early Christian church in Rome, whose names were recorded in the third century but whose legend is of a later date. Nevertheless, there is, as in almost every historical building in Venice, an ample collection of art and architecture to be seen as well as the tombs of 25 members of the doge which themselves are definitely worth seeing.

Architects and Practices:

Laura Contarelli Venice, Veneto Italy E-mail: lauracontarelli@hotmail.com Web Site: www.lauracontarelli.it Ellisse Srl Studio di Progettazione Integrata via Cappuccini 16 Milan, 20122 Italy workVoice Phone: +39 02 7639 0123 faxFax Phone: +39 02 7631 6518 E-mail: mail@ellissesrl.com Web Site: www.ellissesrl.com Andrea Pacciani Architect Andrea Pacciani, architect; Simone Tamboroni, engineer; Enrica Triani, engineer Vicolo del Carmine 1 Parma, 43100 Italy workVoice Phone: (39) 0521 284463 faxFax Phone: (39) 0521 284463 E-mail: info@andreapacciani.com Web Site: www.andreapacciani.com Derossi Associati Arch. Davide Derossi P.za Vittorio Veneto n()() 9 Turin, Italy E-mail: derossiassociati@fastwebnet.it Web Site: www.derossiassociati.it Massimiliano Fuksas Architetto Massimiliano Fuksas, Doriana O. Mandrelli Plazza del Monte di Pietand#224, 30 Rome, 00186 Italy workVoice Phone: and39 06 6880 7871 faxFax Phone: and39 06 6880 7872 E-mail: office@fuksas.it Web Site: www.fuksas.it	SRenzo Piano Building Workshop S.r.l. Renzo Piano, Mark Carroll, Shunji Ishida, Paul Vincent, Philippe Goubet, Flavio Marano, Giorgio Grandi, Bernard Plattner, Emanuela Baglietto, Olaf de Nooyer, Susanna Scarabicchi, Giorgio Bianchi, Donald Hart, Antoine Chaaya, Joost Moolhuijzen Via Rubens, 29 Genoa, 16158 Italy workVoice Phone: (39) 010 61 71 1 faxFax Phone: (39) 010 61 71 350 E-mail: italy@rpbw.com Web Site: www.rpbw.com offARCHITETTI Giano Donati, Daniele Coppi, Angelo Fiore, Fabio Arrigoni via Francesco Soave 24 Milano, MI 20135 Italy workVoice Phone: +39 0287392931 faxFax Phone: +39 0287392931 E-mail: info@offarchitetti.it Web Site: www.offarchitetti.it Studio Mangiarotti Angelo Mangiarotti via Cesare de Sesto, 15 Milano, 20123 Italy workVoice Phone: (+39) 02.89400449 E-mail: info@studiomangiarotti.it Web Site: www.studiomangiarotti.com StudioADD Architettura Disegno D'interni Arch. Maurizio Parenti, IDI Giovanni Stefanini Via Monserrato, 111 Rome, Italy 00186 Italy workVoice Phone: +390668803511 Fax Phone: +390668803511 E-mail: studioadd@studioadd.it Web Site: www.studioadd.it