The Human Safety Net (THSN) | Migliore + Servetto Architects

The studio was chosen by Generali Group to design the new headquarters of The Human Safety Net Foundation (THSN) within the Procuratie Vecchie in Piazza San Marco in Venice. The 3000 sqm project includes the Interior, Exhibition & Multimedia Design of the third floor and the reception spaces on the ground floor, with artistic direction by Davide Rampello.
In addition to the interactive exhibition A World of Potential – focused on personal awareness and the development of human potential -, the design span the entire top floor and the reception areas on the ground floor, creating spaces for interaction, sharing and dialogue. A café that is always open to the public; a co-working space reserved for the activities of the Foundation and its partners, and event rooms flanked by an auditorium.

The entire intervention is characterised by an innovative and experimental approach, aimed at generating sustainable and inclusive spaces, designed in relation to the behaviours, expectations and needs of visitors. In particular, the exhibition path was conceived as a progression of experiences, and it develops by following a prologue, three acts and an epilogue that lead the visitor to discover their own potential, starting from the values identified by the curators Orna Cohen and Andreas Heinecke of DSE – Dialogue for Social Enterprise: creativity, kindness, perseverance, gratitude, curiosity, hope, social intelligence and teamwork. These latter have been translated into 16 interactive machines à montrer, capable of engaging a diverse range of audiences and generating reflections on the themes of inclusion, innovation and sustainability. The reference to the Venetian-ness is very strong with the content and materials thanks to the collaboration with local craftsmen. The link is built on several levels, starting from the visual one with Piazza San Marco: particular importance was given to the 100 sixteenth-century oculi that run along the entire floor, giving a pictorial value to the whole as well as a direct relationship with Venice. In some of these openings, the view has been enhanced through a technological magnification system that, like Canaletto’s optical machines, allows visitors to immerse themselves in city life through a new way of interacting with it. In addition, the installation “Window on Venice” allows you to make a leap through time, exploring in 3D how various places of the city were in the sixteenth century, such as the Giudecca, the Rialto Bridge, the Arsenale, Burano and Murano. The partitions of the spaces and the furnishings have been designed to dialogue with the existing structures of the Procuratie – renovated by David Chipperfield Architects Milan -, enhancing the majestic subdivision of the architectural volumes and further recalling the deep Venetian roots of the place in the materials used: glass, copper, wood and mirrors. The typical Venetian bricole are the backbone of the installation of the exhibition dedicated to the team working; the cafe’s benches are made from natural wood, recalling those of the historic Venetian cafes; the patterns of the carpets rework traditional motifs, such as the ornate arches of the Doge’s Palace or the murrine milllefiori; the glass chandeliers made by Benvenuto Mastri Vetrai are designed to represent identity in dialogue with natural and artificial light. Venice’s bond with theatre and masks also inspired the installation “Teatro Veneziano” – based on an idea by Davide Rampello – which welcomes visitors: wooden puppets Arlecchino, Pantalone and Colombina, made by the Carlo Colla Atelier and animated by sophisticated technology, interact with visitors by answering their questions about the history of the city in multiple languages. In addition to the interior design of the entire THSN headquarters, the interactive installations and the multimedia content of the exhibition, the studio has designed the environmental graphics and wayfinding, and contributed to the selection of the contents of the Art Studio, the space dedicated to temporary exhibitions, which houses for the opening CHUTZPAH. A tent that is not a tent, animals that are not animals, curated by Gabi Scardi, an exhibition project created by the collective Atelier dell’Errore BIG. A special installation of 100 tapestries on the façade of the Procuratie Vecchie facing Piazza San Marco was visible for a week as of the opening, while a smaller exhibit of 22 tapestries appears on the internal front of the Corte Maruzzi, made of i-Mesh fibres featuring the THSN and Generali logos with extreme lightness.

Photo by Andrea Martiradonna

Design degli interni, allestimento, grafica e multimedialità / Interior, Exhibition, Graphics and Multimedia Design di MIGLIORE+SERVETTO ARCHITECTS