Casa Sanlorenzo
Casa Sanlorenzo arises in Venice inside a building dating from the late 1940s. Located next to the Basilica della Salute, an important presence from a design perspective, it benefits from a very large garden, a rarity in city. Its original character was purposely preserved, even though structural work proved necessary due to the edifice having fallen into disrepair.
The building houses two connected worlds: an exhibition area for artworks and a private apartment which, when needed, can be transformed into a public venue working in tandem with the exhibition area.
The area of over 500 square meters was emptied and pared down to the essence in order to give it a new identity as a museum: a flexible white box that can be modified according to need, with windows that overlook the Basilica dei Frati on the one side and the garden on the other, in continuous dialogue with the building. The Casa also borders a small canal on another side.
The exterior of the building was cleaned up, emphasizing the presence of the brickwork and redesigning the façade with large and austere windows in steel and glass - a contemporary intervention intended as a tribute to Carlo Scarpa’s work for the Fondazione Querini Stampalia.
Without seeking to imitate or emulate, the museum is distinguished by cement-resin floors and Portoro stone, allowing it to host art, architecture, design or special events.
Where possible, the existing structure was preserved but within certain limits. For example, since it was not possible to maintain the original staircase connecting the ground and first floors, a new one was designed that traces the form of the old but is made entirely of glass with steel fixings. Suspended in space, highly technological and transparent, it has a discreet but strongly expressive power.
The garden spaces are defined by watercourses, large concrete basins and planted decks.
The private bridge providing access to the house was also specifically redesigned for the project and was conceived to be highly technological and appropriate to the modern era. The “humpback” structure is made of metal onto which steps of Istrian stone, the traditional Venetian masegni, were fixed along the curve of the arch. These were treated to make them slip-proof in inclement weather, while the handrail is made of wood.
