Schiattarella Associati: The Latest Architecture and News

The 19th International Architecture Exhibition, organised by La Biennale di Venezia under Carlo Ratti's curatorship and the theme "Intelligens. Natural. Artificial. Collective," is set to transform Venice into a "Living Laboratory" of experimentation and collaboration. This year's special projects extend beyond the exhibition grounds, integrating into various city locations and Forte Marghera in Mestre, providing an alternative perspective that expands the reach of architectural discourse.

The Biennale promises to be a dynamic platform uniting over 750 participants from diverse backgrounds, including architects, engineers, mathematicians, climate scientists, and artists. Such a broad coalition of over 280 projects underlines the Exhibition's focus on inclusivity and interdisciplinary collaboration, an essential aspect for adaptation. The selection process proposed a bottom-up, open call approach through the Space for Ideas initiative, which ran between May and June 2024. It encouraged participation from global teams, from Pritzker Prize winners and Nobel laureates to emerging architects and scientists.

+ 16

In recent years, the Gulf region has emerged as a global center for cultural and architectural development, commissioning internationally acclaimed architects to design its most high-profile museums and institutions. These projects, ranging from Louvre Abu Dhabi by Jean Nouvel to Museum of Islamic Art in Doha by I. M. Pei, are often designed by foreign architects, yet they aim to embed themselves within their context through strategies that reference the region's landscape, climate, and architectural traditions. This raises a fundamental question: What defines local architecture in the 21st century?

+ 9

Rome-based firm Schiattarella Associati have unveiled the design of a new community mosque complex in the city of Ha’il in Saudi Arabia, using traditional cultural elements of Najd architecture to create a new landmark in the area. The 22,500 square meter Al Jabri Mosque accommodates 3000 people and focuses on “the principle of a people-oriented city and proposes it back again using a contemporary language respectful and attentive in the use of shapes and materials.”

+ 1

Rome-based Schiattarella Associati has unveiled its designs for the King Fahd International Stadium, a refurbishment project that will modify the existing structure, located in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to accommodate almost 50,000 spectators.

In order to link the ground level with the concourse level of the structure, the design focuses on creating an artificial hill at the base of the stadium.

+ 10