Freespace Biennale: Central Pavilion Highlights

The Central Pavilion of the 2018 Venice Architecture Biennale, curated by Grafton Architects under the theme 'Freespace,' presents a distinct shift from the Arsenale's layout. The first room features a floor covered with thousands of handmade encaustic clay tiles by Assemble, evoking medieval church and Victorian pavements. The exhibition includes frequent scale changes: large habitable models in 'Close Encounter. Meetings with remarkable buildings,' a 1:2 reproduction of a spontaneous Chinese building by Amateur Architecture Studio, and Peter Zumthor's 'terrazza atelier' showcasing models from his decades-long career. Other participants include BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group with their 'Humanhattan 2050' plan, Caruso St John Architects, Paulo Mendes da Rocha, and Cino Zucchi. Notably, the exhibition occupies only 90% of the pavilion's area, leaving some space empty. Despite the generous interpretation of 'Freespace,' the dense display offers little breathing room compared to the Corderie.