AD Classics: Nordic Pavilion, Venice / Sverre Fehn

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Since its first edition in 1895, theVeniceBiennale has been held in the "Giardini di Castello", located at the eastern end of the island of Venice. Densely populated with trees and shrubs, the site designated for theNordic Pavilionimposed restrictions on tree removal. However, Fehn was already deeply interested in trees and made them an integral part of his design. His proposal stood out for how it was positioned within thelandscape, its seamless integration of trees, and its relationship with the surroundings. His use of a light-permeable roof provided more exhibition space than the other competing designs."I didn't want barriers between the park, the stage, and the works of art"Fehn once said. His architecture was deeply metaphorical, seeking to tell stories through space. The exhibition area was enclosed on one side byconcretewalls, creating a visual boundary, while large sliding glass doors opened it toward the plaza and the main avenue. The roof extended beyond the mobile enclosure, effectively blending the interior exhibition with the outdoor space. While the jury recognized the pavilion's connection to the surrounding park's greenery, concerns were raised about the durability and maintenance of the roof, leading Fehn to make some adjustments and modifications.From the outset of the project, controllingnatural lightwas a fundamental consideration. Designed as a continuous plane of illumination intersected by the existing vegetation, the pavilion's overhead lighting ensured uniform brightness throughout, reinforcing the sense of a cohesive and uninterrupted exhibition space. Since natural light is subject to unpredictable variations as it passes through different atmospheric layers, Venice's geographic location influences the quality of its daylight. The omnipresence of water affects atmospheric stability and the high relative humidity results in a diffuse light that defines the city's atmosphere. Consequently, the pavilion's roof structure was designed to block direct sunlight, providing a soft and even illumination across the space. This not only protected the artworks from the harsh summer light but also enhanced the viewing experience. The layering of beams shielded the interior from direct sunlight, allowing shadows to soften and blur at certain times of the day and year, dissolving the pavilion's fragile boundary. Thanks to the filtering capacity of the roof and the orthogonal arrangement of the beams, all artworks could be appreciated under the same lighting conditions, regardless of their location.Ultimately, the pavilion stands as an example of the relationship between space and construction. It employs a structural system whereconcreteelements define and enclose the space, integrating both structure and enclosure into a single, cohesive system. Built from five materials—reinforced concrete for the structure, wood, and glass for the enclosure, slate stone for the floors, and plastic for the roof covering—it embodies an architecture without additional finishes, allowing each material to express its natural color and texture without being coated or disguised.By minimizing spatial hierarchy, Fehn designed a flexible layout suited to different types of artworks and installations. The pavilion's rectangular shape and its placement within the site's topography resulted in a building with both a distinct front and back. It combined an open floor plan free of interior supports, even lighting throughout, and an absence of fixed entry and exit points. The vertical structure was concentrated in the L-shaped concrete wall and a single supporting pillar at the opposite corner, enabling a fluid and adaptable exhibition space without the need for perimeter columns.TheNordic Pavilionrepresents a masterful orchestration of spatial ideas and atmospheric intentions, bringing together walls, floors, steps, roof, landscape,light, and interstitial spaces. Its design is inextricably linked to the topography of the site, framing its surroundings through a delicate interplay of built form and natural elements.As a result of the ideas competition organized by the governments ofSweden,Finland, andNorwayin 1958, Sverre Fehn'sNordic Pavilionwon first prize, becoming one of the most significant works of his career and one of the most outstanding Scandinavian architectural achievements during the mid-20th century. Designed to create a space at theVeniceBiennale for the biennial exhibitions of these countries, Fehn's proposal addressed several key architectural challenges—ranging from its integration with the site and incorporation of pre-existing elements to the handling of physical boundaries and uniformnatural lighting. His design explored the interaction between architecture and trees, theflexibilityin the exhibition space, the filtering of light, the connection between interior and exterior, the concept of movement through space, and the display of artworks.In fact, when Fehn chose to use white concrete to enhance the diffusion of light, the effect was achieved not through artificial coloring but through the selection of light-colored aggregates and white cement. True to his architectural philosophy, Fehn avoided concealing the inherent qualities of materials, instead emphasizing their expressive and evocativenature. He sought to reveal the sensory richness ofmaterials, engaging not only their visual and tactile qualities but also their origins, and interaction with light, temperature, and sound. For Fehn, the combination of these elements created a language that could be perceived through touch, hearing, and sight.The roof became the defining element of the space, though the presence, opacity, and positioning of the lintel also played a crucial role in shapingspatial perception. From inside the pavilion, the treetops remain unseen, emphasizing the horizontal nature of the space and reinforcing the continuity of the floor plane. The total thickness of the roof measures 2 meters, while the interior space beneath it has a free height of 4.3 meters. However, proportions within the pavilion are not solely dictated by light; there is also an underlying pattern of human scale.The second challenge, which was very interesting, was to create shade. You cannot allow the Venetian sun to penetrate the interior space. The sun inVenicehas a specific angle, so we designed the beams with enough depth to block direct sunlight. This way, the exhibition hall received uniform lighting. Between the beams, transparent drip edges were incorporated to channel water away.—Sverre Fehnin the video for the traveling exhibition "Architect Sverre Fehn, Intuition, Reflection, Construction", Oslo, Nasjonal Museet for Kunst, Arkitektur og Design, 2008.Situated between Denmark's pavilion and the U.S. pavilion, along Trento Avenue, the site was not flat but rather sloped, with a gradient running along its length, dividing it into two platforms. Beneath the tree canopies, the pavilion's space was formed through the layering of different densities, allowing light to filter through into the interior. While the layout was determined by the exhibition program, the way light entered the space shaped the section.In June 1958, the Finnish architectural duo Reima and Raili Pietilä, Swedish architect Klas Anshelm, and Norwegian architectSverre Fehnwere invited to participate in the competition to design theNordic Pavilionwithin theVeniceBiennale grounds. As outlined inMaría Dolores Sánchez Moya's doctoral thesis, the competition aimed to address the need for exhibitionflexibilitywhile preserving existing site conditions. Given the nature of the location, the Biennale's administration required that a certain distance be maintained from the Danish pavilion to ensure pedestrian flow and to preserve as many trees as possible. Additionally, the competition rules stipulated that the pavilion should include an exhibition space of 400 square meters for paintings, sculptures, and graphic works, along with a space of at least 15 square meters for storage and maintenance. Each country needed to have the option of organizing its exhibitions independently or collectively, making spatialflexibilitya crucial design consideration.The angle of sunlight—68.5° relative to the horizontal during the summer solstice in Venice—determined the design of the roof, which consists of both longitudinal and transverse beams. Arranging them in a 1:2 proportion between their height and spacing produces a diffused light of uniform intensity throughout the pavilion, functioning as a brise-soleil system.—Sverre Fehnin the competition submission report.Every design decision responded to three key objectives: preserving the site's trees, achieving uniformnatural lightingwithin the exhibition space, and allowing for seamless movement between the interior and exterior. AsMaría Dolores Sánchez Moya's thesis states, the project can be seen as the creation of a new context that incorporates the pre-existing elements—the trees and pathways. Fehn designed an open and transparent floor plan to maximize exhibition flexibility, concentrating the structural support in twoconcretewalls that formed the pavilion's enclosed angle, along with a single pillar.