Between global design aspirations and local heritage preservation

OMA’s intervention on the Fondaco dei Tedeschi in Venice

TUPACH Seminar Series

05/05/2025, h. 17:30 – 19:00
Politecnico di Milano, Campus Leonardo, Edificio 11, Aula Z.1 D.I

The TUPACH seminar series explores the intersection of cultural heritage and urban development, focusing on how transnational projects engage with UNESCO sites in cities like Naples, Rome, and Venice. Drawing on a set of case studies, the series examines the roles of technical expertise, urban policies, and local communities in heritage preservation, transformation, and valorization. The challenges and frictions of such processes of urban transformation will be discussed.

This lecture presents the transformation of the Fondaco dei Tedeschi building in Venice – historically a commercial hub and then the headquarters of Poste Italiane (mail service) – into a major luxury store. The changing of the site functions and the architectural transformations proposed by Rem Koolhaas’ office (OMA) highlight the convergence and contraposition of interests among several public and private actors at multiple levels, from the transnational to the national and local.

Relatori

Matteo Basso – Associate Professor of Urban Planning, IUAV University of Venice
Marco Antonio Minozzo Gabriel – Postdoctoral Researcher, IUAV University of Venice

Discussants

Huilei Cao – PhD Candidate, Politecnico di Milano
Josep Maria Garcia Fuentes – Associate Professor of Architectural and Urban Design, Politecnico di Milano

Responsabili

Davide Ponzini, Anita Martinelli, Paolo Scrivano Zachary M. Jones

Prossimi incontri

07/05, h. 17:30 – Aula 16.C 02
“Negotiating infrastructure and cultural heritage: a transnational urban project. The case of Municipio square and metro station in Naples”
Relatori: Anita Martinelli (PhD Candidate, Politecnico di Milano) e Sveva Ventre (PhD Candidate, Federico II University of Naples)

Photo Credits: Marco Antonio Minozzo Gabriel