French Pavilion at 2018 Architecture Biennale Explores 'Infinite Places'

The French Pavilion at the 16th International Architecture Exhibition in Venice, curated by the collective Encore Heureux, presents 'Lieux Infinis' (Infinite Places), focusing on abandoned or underused spaces reactivated by communities. The exhibition shifts attention from architectural objects to processes, from new construction to reuse, and from the architect as sole author to a multiplicity of actors. Ten projects are featured, including Le 6B in Saint-Denis, La Friche La Belle de Mai in Marseille, Hôtel Pasteur in Rennes, and Le Centquatre in Paris, where Encore Heureux has its studio. The display reuses materials from Xavier Veilhan's Studio Venezia pavilion at the 2017 Art Biennale, embracing an open-source, open-ended approach. The pavilion itself becomes an 'infinite place', awaiting future transformations. Encore Heureux advocates for generalist architects who manage complexity, often opening spaces without being clients, and emphasizes collective, incremental processes over top-down design. The exhibition runs from May 26 to November 25, 2018.