VENICE, ITALY (1994)
Organized as a year-round complex of international cultural pavilions, the Venice Biennale is the premier show-case of exhibitions representing the arts and the technology of major countries from around the world. Because Venice is densely urbanized, the few remaining green areas are highly valued and it is now almost impossible for countries not yet represented at the Biennale to find a site for new pavilions. Argentina approached Emilio Ambasz with this seemingly impossible dilemma and he proposed an ingenious solution. Ambasz's unique design for the Argentine Pavilion utilizes his concept of the 'Green over the Gray' to create a very large new pavilion, while returning to the city of Venice virtually 100% of the green landscape of the original site. Ambasz selected a prime location at the Biennale that presently is a green open space where people enjoy gathering outdoors. He began by designing a landscaped circular courtyard which is the entry to the pavilion. The groundplane cants slowly upward toward the far corner of the site, creating an enormous space within. Covered in greenery and flowering plants, this canted roof remains a lush garden park for visitors to the Biennale, yet completely hides the fact that a large pavilion space lies below.
