A unique building in the very heart of Venice, overlooking St Mark's Square, open to the public for the first time in 500 years, designed to be a hub of culture and social inclusion.
Here, in a space of architectural grace, which ideally connects open and closed spaces, art and social impact collide in the exhibitions and installations of visionary artists and architects, and centuries of history meet the future, facing its challenges through a constant and inspiring dialogue, in a city that aspires to be the World Capital of Sustainability.
On the ground floor, under the arches of the Procuratie, the Negozio Olivetti, under licence to the FAI, is a true masterpiece of 20th century architecture, an expression of the vision of Adriano Olivetti and the genius of Carlo Scarpa.
On the second floor SMAC (San Marco Art Centre) is a multidisciplinary art centre with a programme that ranges from visual arts to architecture, from fashion to technology and cinema.
On the third floor, The Home of The Human Safety Net has been designed as a place for discussion, meeting, reflection and interaction on the themes of social innovation and human potential, amplifying the Foundation's programmes through an interactive exhibition, events and workshops open to the public.
The history of the Procuratie
The first Procuratie were built in the XII century to house the offices and home of St. Mark's Procurators and then destroyed by fire in the early XVI century. The reconstruction of the building was completed in 1538 by architects Bartolomeo Bon and Jacopo Sansovino, as part of Doge Andrea Gritti's Renovatio Urbis programme. The building then acquired the appearance it still has today.
In 1832 Generali, founded in 1831 in Trieste, opened its first office in Venice in the Procuratie. The building has been the Company's headquarters in Venice until 1989.
In 2017 the restoration work by David Chipperfield was announced. It included the restoration of the first and second floors of the building with all their decorative features and the third floor, once used for the Procuratie's servants and later for Generali's archives, meant to become The Home of The Human Safety Net.
The restoration
The restoration project by David Chipperfield, Pritzker Prize 2023 laureate, is defined by a series of interventions that address the complexity of the work through a flexible approach. They include the Restoration of the first and second floors, the Reorganisation of accessibility and usability through a new vertical circulation and the Renovation of the third floor where a spectacular enfilade of 15 arches synergetically connects the areas open to the public.
The Interventions looked to ancient, local and traditional construction techniques and made use of artisanal craftsmanship, using pastellone and terrazzo, marmorino and scialbatura, cocciopesto and cotto, seeking not to impose but rather to inherit, in order to complete into a single whole and reclaim the integrity of what has been present for hundreds of years in probably the most representative place in Venice.
Today the Procuratie Vecchie represents also a showcase of modern technologies and sustainability in a unique context, in line with the requirements of the international LEED Silver Core & Shell certification.
