Carlo Scarpa and his Interventions - The Fondazione Querini Stampalia

Exploring Scarpa’s considerations when developing and designing the Querini Stampalia.

My area of interest in the Querini Stampalia was to explore Carlo Scarpa and his impact on the building. I investigated Scarpa’s work analysing his time in Venice and attentiveness to: detail, craftsmanship, material and light.

Carlo Scarpa was born in Venice 1906, he moved to Vicenza at the age of two, only to return with his brother and father in 1919 after his mother passed away. Scarpa, unlike his earthbound peers, was born on water, matured on water and built on water. As if Scarpa was designed to build on water with his innate aquatic sensibility, saturated by Venice. The majority of Scarpa’s work was located in Veneto and in particular Venice. Michael Cadwell recalls his discovery of the Querini Stampalia Foundation as when he stumbled upon it, lost in the labyrinth of Venice and Scarpa. Before even becoming an architect Scarpa was recognised by Frank Lloyd Wright during a visit to Murano to choose glassware, that was all Scarpa’s designs. Scarpa only started attracting commissions after the second world war, many of which involved the restoration of existing buildings, becoming Scarpa’s trademark. He became known for his attitude of combining time-honored crafts with modern technology.

Perhaps Scarpa’s most famous project was his renovation of the Castelvecchio Museum, completed in 1964, that tastefully created an innovative balance between the new and old, revealing the history when suitable. Scarpa, among modern architects, is virtually unmatched in his attention to detail. In the 20th Century, there was a scarcity of any similar approaches to restoration, except for a few like Jože Plečnik’s who restored part of the Prague Castle. It was only until the 1970s that it became recognised when an emerging generation of American architects gravitated to Scarpa. Including the likes of Steven Holl, Billie Tsien, Michael Rotundi, for these and a host of other young practitioners, Scarpa’s Allure was multivalent. Scarpa was desired by these architects at the time, perhaps due to his elegant interventions into historic buildings condemning late modernism’s narcissistic bulldozing’s and postmodernism predictable pandering’s.

The Fondazione Querini Stampalia was founded by Count Giovanni Querini in 1869, the last descendant of the Querini family. This is the only institution in Venice that still possesses the full heritage of its ancient Venetian Family. Giovanni Querini Established this institution to “foster the study of useful subjects." The foundation's purpose is still to this day to educate and develop by providing individuals with the means to study its own artistic and historical heritage and has a selection of contemporary works of art and events.

From the start Scarpa was convinced of the need for a new bridge, turning one of the windows into a living window. Becoming the most problematic part of their project taking 4 years to finalise and in the space of a morning to construct. However, a necessary introduction to his renovations, proposing what is to come. Although not instantly visible as a traditional Venetian bridge, with a detailed examination it is possible to see that it is assembled from two steel sheets formed into arches and welded together by square steel sections, like the earliest and simplest Venetian brick and stone bridges. The wooden deck and steel structure of the bridge act as an effective celebration to the Querini Stampalia’s colossal masonry interior. Scarpa’s incessant view that, whatever the material, its true nature should be apparent, carried throughout all of his projects. Hence, the small recurring details he applies in an attempt to reveal each element. The protective brass connections between the teak rails are indented with a notch in an attempt to reveal the planar quality of the brass sheet. Scarpa’s sophisticated design can be seen in the bridge, by his distinct separation between the steps and arch, function and structure. As well as Scarpa’s bridge allowing access of foot traffic he also opened the existing portico to allow direct gondola access. In this way, Scarpa allowed for two respectful entries; an everyday passage from the campo via a delicately articulated bridge and a more honorific approach from the water.

Scarpa’s work reflects themes of water and Venice yet again when looking at the entrance room. The delicate nature of the stucco-lucido is juxtaposed with the use of robust concrete, emphasizing its vulnerability, like that of Venice on the water. Scarpa links to Venice once again by seeking out local materials. In the Watergate area, for his famous ladder stair, he chose to make them from cast concrete capped with polished Istrian stone creating a striking contrast, whilst in keeping with Venice’s roots. The point of greatest tension between past and present may be noted in Scarpa’s architecture when it defines the form of light in an ancient building. The use of light through the Watergate draws visitors through from the entrance. The use of brass catches the light, drawing the attention of viewers to where the historical entrance once was. Where the gondolas would enter through and dock into the building. Once again he shows attention to detail with the intricate patterns on the gate which is projected as a shadow on the. The Watergate ladder stair stairs enhanced still by the traces of water left behind.

We step down into the main exhibition room, with a glimpse of foliage behind the southwestern light that is filtered through the glass wall at the end of the room. Scarpa was considered to have an understanding of light that was not just in terms of direction and intensity but also in color. In another instance, Scarpa even considered the possibility of treating it as a solid. This attention by Scarpa is evident through the staggered Istrian stone strips whose reflection marked a meandering line towards the garden. Scarpa used a brass rail separating the two bands of travertine primarily designed as a support for lightning fixtures which looks instead, at first an aesthetic detail. In the far corner, the brass rail is broken by an irregular travertine slab above a step-like opening carved from the concrete curb with unusually open joints surrounding it. The door is flush with the walls but because of the details, Scarpa has already installed when he changes the pattern of details it creates a clear but elegant passage to a small annex. Scarpa said it becomes a“door that invites you to reach out and open it. It is a different way of dealing with the ancient problem.” The polished Istrian stone paring continues out from the exhibition room floor to the garden terrace. Raised above the terrace, he placed a long narrow watercourse.

It is easy to look at Scarpa’s work as a painting, the eye lingers from instant to instant, caught by detail, by a specific element, without considering the whole, without there ever arising that overall image that dominates. Evident in the Querini Stampalia as you discover more and more details. The Querini Stampalia is rightly part of Venice. Although, the building is naturally Venetian due to its particular building constraints like the Acqua Alta, plaza configurations, government bodies and availability of materials. Usually, the layout of the original 16th Century palazzo would have controlled any architect assigned the renovation, the same limited materials would have been bound. However Scarpa contradicts this, where he creates a regional dialect beyond its deep-rooted features; pairing teak and steel on his new bridge, uncovering its brick structure, embedding cut stone into rough concrete and inviting the water inside. What makes Scarpa’s work so prominent, is not in the individual, detail, craftsmanship, location, but rather the combination.

HARRY HUDSON HORWOOD

RIBA PART 1 ARCHITECT

Carlo Scarpa and his Interventions - The Fondazione Querini Stampalia

Related Reading:

Commentaires

© 2024 Harry Hudson Horwood