Venice Lab: Reconsidering St. Mark’s Square

A photographic and textual documentation of David Chipperfield’s long-awaited restoration of St Mark’s Square

This volume follows the long-anticipated restoration work on the Procuratie Vecchie in St Mark’s Square in Venice, as overseen by David Chipperfield Architects. Thousands of people walk past the landmark each year, oblivious to what resides within. In April 2022, the building opened for the first time in 500 years, housing humanitarian organizations such as the Human Safety Net foundation. St Mark’s Square is often regarded as Venice’s central community complex; Venice, in turn, is often regarded across the globe as an architectural mecca. Accordingly, the major restoration has drawn a number of critical reflections by both Italian and international thinkers. Venice Lab gathers these essays from scholars and artists, as well as interviews with the architects involved in the restoration, conveying the project’s pluralistic vision for the lagoon city.