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.

rendering of ‘balancing act’

‘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

layout of the beams

placement of the elements

load-bearing diagram

elevation and dimensions

spring detail