David Chipperfield on the Procuratie Vecchie, Power, and Architecture's Future

David Chipperfield, 2023 Pritzker Prize laureate, discusses his restoration of Venice's Procuratie Vecchie, opened to the public for the first time in 2022. The project, by David Chipperfield Architects, houses The Human Safety Net, a Generali foundation. Chipperfield reflects on the term 'classic' as stable qualities, not decorative forms, citing his Museum of Modern Literature and James Simon Gallery in Berlin as examples. He argues architecture must engage more in planning and restoration, not just conventional practice. Asked about a hypothetical second Venice Architecture Biennale, he would retain his 2011 theme 'Common ground,' emphasizing collective responsibility over individual talent, despite his Pritzker win. On Italy, he credits its postwar architects and magazines like Domus and Casabella for inspiration but notes a gap between theory and construction. Regarding power and culture, he states architects need proximity to power but must maintain independence. For cultural spaces, he warns against using architecture as a brand, stressing the responsibility to enhance existing institutions. His other notable projects include the Neues Museum, Turner Contemporary, Kunsthaus Zurich, Museo Jumex, and West Bund Museum.