The Nordic Pavilion, La Biennale di Venezia

Situated in the only park in Venice, architect Sverre Fehn had to navigate his building around trees, which the city really wanted to keep. He was also building a gallery that would be representative of all three Nordic countries – Norway, Finland, and Sweden. The Venice Biennale, that art festival that I mentioned earlier, wanted to have individual galleries that represented many of the major countries. Thus, there is a United States Pavilion, a Canadian Pavilion, a Spanish Pavilion, and so on. Most of these pavilions are rather tame, featuring classical columns and what not, but the Nordic Pavilion is a standout.

Fehn wanted to capture the shadowless light conditions from the Nordic countries. To do this in the much harsher Venetian sun, he had to filter the light through layers of tree canopy, fiberglass gutters, and perpendicular concrete fins. This roof configuration really is the highlight of the building.

Date completed:
1962
Location:
Biennale Garden in Venice Italy
Travel Directions:
Take one of the water buses to the Biennale Garden. Upon entering the garden the pavilion is on your right hand side next to the Danish Pavilion.
Architect:
Sverre Fehn
About:
Sverre Fehn won an international competition to design this pavilion. The concept is bringing the Nordic Light (not the northen lights, Aurora Borealis) to Italy. The site had some really old trees and Mr. Fehns proposal incorporated them in the building instead of pulling them down.