Vatican Chapels at Venice Architecture Biennale: What Future for the 11 Chapels?

Curator Francesco Dal Co discusses the Vatican Chapels project at the 2018 Venice Architecture Biennale, which featured 11 chapels built in a forest on the island of San Giorgio Maggiore. The chapels were constructed between February 15 and May 15, 2018, using traditional Venetian pile foundations to preserve tree roots. Architects included Eduardo Souto de Moura, Carla Juaçaba, Terunobu Fujimori, Andrew Berman, Norman Foster, and others. Dal Co emphasized that the chapels were designed as non-pavilions, built to be experienced in nature rather than as representations. The project attracted 100,000 visitors. The future of the chapels remains uncertain, but they may remain on site with copyright protections. Dal Co highlighted the collaborative process with architects, noting no major conflicts. The project was coordinated by Sacaim as general contractor, with architects Francesco Magnai and Traudy Péelzel, and engineer Luigi Cocco.