Scaenae view render. Image Courtesy of David Chipperfield Architects
The preliminary design for the architectural restoration and functional redevelopment of the Roman Theatre was presented on Tuesday, April 8, 2025, at the Auditorium of the Santa Giulia Museum in Brescia. The project was developed by the Milan office of David Chipperfield Architects, commissioned by the Fondazione Brescia Musei in collaboration with the Municipality of Brescia and the Brescia Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Handicraft, and Agriculture. Chipperfield was tasked with identifying the essential architectural elements to guide future design phases, leading to the drafting of the Technical-Economic Feasibility Project (PFTE) and the final project, including the necessary authorizations. This initiative is financially supported by the Italian Chamber of Commerce under a 2019 ministerial decree prioritizing cultural heritage, especially where it enhances tourism.
Tucked within the leafy confines of the Giardini della Biennale in Venice stands a structure modest in scale yet immense in quiet conviction: the Finland Pavilion, designed by Alvar and Elissa Aalto for the 1956 Venice Biennale. Unlike the monumental pavilions that surround it, Aalto's structure was conceived not as a permanent structure, but as a temporary exhibition space for a single exhibition season. And yet, nearly seventy years on, it remains—weathered, resilient, and quietly luminous.