venice architecture biennale 2010 preview: ensamble studio
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venice architecture biennale 2010 preview: ensamble studio


'balancing act' by ensamble studio at the arsenal building in venice, italy
all images courtesy of ensamble studio


as part of this year's venice architecture biennale, spanish practice ensamble studio
has created 'balancing act', an installation to be showcased at the arsenal building.

consisting of two giant beams, a spring and a rock, the project is a play of balance.
negotiating between the old structural columns of the building, the two lines created
by the installation draw a diagonal incision through the space. the result is a new order,
a new rhythm to the 'tempo' already established by the existing columns. this foreign
composition creates tension and friction, offering a new and disturbing reading of the space.
the predominantly horizontal structure affects the verticality of the room, breaking its scale
and introducing a new element to the arsenal building.

'we have understood the whole arsenale as a theme of multiple counterpoint, where after
the appearance of the original space, different voices occur around that theme, developed
and carried in intervals, creating a complex compositional sequence, an architectural ''fugue'',
in which different spaces follow one another, and in which the dissonant balance of
the 'balancing act' is just one chord.' -ensamble studio

by playing with the forces present in the space, and the gravitational force that the structures
generate, 'balancing act' makes the concept of balance tangible.



rendering of 'balancing act'









layout of the beams



placement of the elements



load-bearing diagram



elevation and dimensions



spring detail
erica db
08.13.10  
14
what is the point in making huge beams where you can use thin non-structural walls??
But the beam company should be very happy...
jodeteanton   08.13.10
it's art and it's nice
yes   08.13.10
IMPRESSIVE
Wuki   08.13.10
do you think this is art?? You work for him, don't you??
He made it once, he has become famous for it and now he needs to do it everytime
crap   08.13.10
STRUCTURAL BRUTALISM IS NOT THE SOLUTION THAT THE ARCHITECTURE SHOULD BE GIVING TO THE ECONOMIC CRISIS. WE DON;T NEED MORE EGOMANIAC ARCHITECTS
OF COURSE   08.13.10
Ensambles work references of the horizon, the physical limits. They play a game with heavy structures placed in an apparently unstable balance, and provoke gravity to move the space. And in this way they define space.
enjoy this video
hemeroscopium house
Timo   08.14.10
like it
Mohnali   08.14.10
Équilibre
Concept architectural suggestif:
L’expression abstraite et contradictoire d'une spatialité statique évoquant un mouvement tout en musique.
Ceci n'est pas une exposition d'objet, mais une exposition d'idée.
richard mitri   08.17.10
difficult to understand
Deepak   08.17.10
I think an installation like this is hard to translate in the 2D. I understand, conceptually, what it is trying to accomplish but its intended audience is not one that sits behind a computer.
boxy   08.20.10
I love it.
C.S.M   08.22.10
Subtle and sensitive. I would love to see this one in person.
peter crisanti   08.23.10
Very funny, especially huge piece of rock.
%)
Archerxxx   08.24.10
relax guys..were not a real beams,, those were fake,
venecia   08.29.10
ensamble studio (3 articles)

ensamble studio: the truffle
architecture | 05.25.10

the truffle is a piece of nature built with earth, full of air. a space within a stone that sits on the ground and blends in with the territory. it camouflages, by emulating the processes of mineral formation in it...

6

ensamble studio: berklee tower of music, vale
architecture | 05.24.10

the building, from its conception, takes into account the climate and the environmental conditions of the site to help achieve thermal comfort inside. it deals with design, geometry, orientation and construction a...

6

ensamble studio: house hemeroscopium
architecture | 08.25.09

built in just seven days, house hemeroscopium consists of seven prefabricated elements. the combination creates an architectural space of alternating heaviness and lightness, balance and instability.

4
venice architecture biennale 2010 (67 articles)

kazuyo sejima: venice architecture biennale 2
architecture | 11.22.10

designboom attended the closing ceremony of the venice architecture biennale 2010, where japanese architect kazuyo sejima shared her experience as the curator of such an event. the biennale shut its doors yesterday.

2

mark pimlott and tony fretton: piazzasalone
architecture | 10.02.10

installed within salone 1.10 of the corderia dell’arsenale, 'piazzasalone' assembles objects and spaces that pimlott and fretton have worked with for a long time, drawing on their own built works, and re-presentin...

1

atelier bow-wow at venice architecture bienna
architecture | 10.01.10

part two of atelier bow-wow's collection of models as exhibited in 'house behaviorology'.

0

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