In an area that had been abandoned for years in the Giardini di Sant’Elena in Venice, La Biennale di Venezia identified an ideal location for its new ticket office and staff offices, through the recovery of an almost completely collapsed greenhouse and the redevelopment of the green spaces in front of it.
In addition to this intervention, the La Biennale di Venezia project included the redevelopment of the current entrances and some temporary volumes used as services, adjacent to the historic Carlo scarpa entrance and the gate designed by him. The set of these interventions thus constitutes a true integrated and articulated project of redevelopment of the accessibility and use open to the public for the entrance to la Biennale di Venezia.

The firm H&A associati was selected to design and supervise the works of what was planned by the Special Projects Office of the Biennale. The first fully completed intervention concerns the new ticket office and the redevelopment of the front garden. This will be followed for the next Biennale Arte 2026 by the construction of the new entrances, and the removal of the temporary structures currently present.

The new ticket office

The proposal of the H&A Associati studio involved a functional recovery of the volume of the old greenhouse and a redevelopment of the paths and green spaces, introducing an original design of the roofing and at the same time reviving the memory of the original materials of the greenhouse, such as the brick pillars on the face and the windows and doors divided into squares, all” inglesina.” The welcoming effect of the new garden is emphasized by an entrance pergola that will be completely covered with vegetation. The new large roof of the origina and greenhouse pushes out with large overhangs toward the garden, creating a porticoed space, protected from the weather and sunbeams.
Underneath the portico, visitors to the Biennial can purchase tickets in an environment that dialogues with the completely upgraded green space that has become a small oasis within the gardens.
The dynamics of the different staggered planes of the roofing is accentuated by the materials chosen, which included a roofing in opaque titanium zinc, which fits well with the overall context, is in Alucobon mirrored internally to the portico, so as to create a depth effect through the reflections of this innovative material.
The roof of more than 230 m² becomes a simple urban sign with its own dynamic that dialogues with the green space and the presence of large trees in the ticket office garden. The building used for ticketing and offices of about 130 m² accommodates about 10 stations, a checkroom and technical rooms. The intervention carried out and thus a unicum between green design and the recovery of the greenhouse with the ‘introduction of new functions, returning a part of the gardens of St. Helena to the community and upgrading the function of access to the Biennale exhibition area.

The Duse Arena is located near the Sottomarina waterfront and has been a meeting and event venue for several years for the City of Chioggia.

Following a period of neglect, the current facility has been unused and has significant problems due to the lack of a roof.
The firm H&A associati has carried out a project with the City of Chioggia under PNRR for the execution of the roofing and subsequent completion, to return to the City a gathering place that will be open for performances and culture.
The covered theater will accommodate about 800 people seated on the bleachers and 470 people in the parterre for a total of 1270. The arena will be able to host concerts and cultural events of various kinds.
The large circular roof is formed by two asymmetrical discs with a metal cover and a lattice structure over the large spans. Such a large structural object becomes the new “sign” that characterizes the Arena and actually creates an original and distinctive land mark for Chioggia’s waterfront.

FONDAZIONE DELL’ALBERO D’ORO, PALAZZO GRIMANI, GRAND CANAL, VENICE Private foundation/museum.
H&A Associati followed the conservative restoration and renovation phases of a 16th-century palace on the Grand Canal in Venice for the creation of a museum and for the headquarters of the Albero d’Oro Foundation.
The project led to the use of historic and decorated spaces with great attention to architectural and functional restoration interventions for the creation of museum spaces, events, bookshops and temporary exhibitions of the Venice Biennale.

Credits: Studio Feiffer/Raimondi

Project of a cinema multiplex integrated to a shopping center in the city of Suzhou.
The project, commissioned by a private developer, interpreted the materials and the nature of the site taking inspiration from the terracing of the rice paddies and the striped shape of the local stone. These references have been the guiding thread of the design choices both in the definition of volumes and facade treatments.

Conservative restoration project of the headquarters of the Grand Priory of the Order of Malta in Venice.
The project includes the restoration of the church of San Giovanni nel Tempio.
Works management and coordination in the various phases of work with the Superintendency and the competent bodies.
The project involved the restoration of the Church and the historic seat of the order of Malta, including the cloisters and gardens. During the restoration of the Church, sixteenth-century structures were discovered above an undecorated false ceiling and with the agreement of the Superintendence the decorated trusses became visible which revealed an absolutely unexpected and high quality construction technique.