migliore+servetto completes human safety net bookstore in venice

migliore+servetto completes multimedia bookstore

Tucked away in Venice’s Saint Mark’s Square, the Bookstore of The Human Safety Net Foundation by Migliore+Servetto sits at the intervention of work, dialogue, discovery, and community experience. Housed within the historical building of Procuratie Vecchie, the compact 14 square meter space reveals a warm interior, an exhibition titled A World of Potential, a multimedia experience, and welcoming areas throughout. The intervention preserves and refreshes historic spatial features including windows and flooring while new furniture and subtle design elements were introduced to inject modernity and reinforce The Human Net’s brand identity. Inclusivity and accessibility were additionally key pillars for the design team, influencing even the design of the open-shelved bookcase serving as the storefront display visible to all passersby.

all images courtesy of Milgiore+Servetto

a multimedia community experience in saint mark’s square

Externally, the foundation’s name and logo are marked in new signage and graphics on the entry door and mezzanine window, subtly connecting this intimate space to The Human Safety Net’s broader presence on the third floor. Within, embracing the space along the walls, a series of red, steel bookshelves form a modular display system with integrated light featuring different dimensions and angulations. Each insert is mobile and interchangeable to ensure maximum flexibility, with the shelves converging to form a 90° angle and host the sales counter. The central aisle and window display case complete the furniture ensemble, their lightness and flexibility echoing the foundation’s identity to provide an unambiguous homogeneity to the space.

Migliore+Servetto’s intervention involved the replacement of existing furniture, false walls, and suspended ceilings, while historic elements such as the original Venetian flooring, windows, and shutters were preserved and renovated. Light grey plasterboard now forms the suspended ceilings and false walls, complemented by a natural stone band countering potential high-water impacts as it spans the whole perimeter. For the lighting design, the Italian designers opted for Targetti spotlights which offer flexible planes of light to create different accents for different display by running along ceiling-recessed tracks. A restored door opens onto Corte Maruzzi, flanked by and a luminous wall and a vertical monitor that adds digital dimensions to the space, facilitating broader communication and narratives.

project info:

name: Bookstore of The Human Safety Net Foundation
designer: Migliore+Servetto Architects

location: Procuratie Vecchie, Saint Mark’s Square, Venice

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edited by: ravail khan | designboom