After winning the international competition for the Fondation François Pinault pour l’Art Contemporain in Paris, this project had to be abandoned due to a series of problems. Shortly after, the studio received a new commission from the client in Venice, and though there was no change in the function as a modern art museum, the architectural conditions were entirely different. As opposed to the plan for Paris, this project consisted in the renovation and reuse of the Palazzo Grassi, an 18th century neoclassical mansion.

Because of the strict regulations in Italy for the preservation of historical structures, the building – in great need of repair after many years of interventions – was completely restored to its initial appearance. After this refurbishment process, a series of exhibition spaces or ‘white boxes’ were inserted, creating a contrast with the ornamentation on the walls and ceilings of the old building. A contrast that leads to a spatial sequence characterized by the abrupt dialogue between old and new. The central gallery space exploits the unaltered soft light of the atrium, which becomes the functional and symbolic center of the complex...[+]