Thursday, August 19, 2010

venice architecture biennale 2010 preview: ensamble studio



'balancing act' by ensamble studio at the arsenal building in venice, italy
all images courtesy of ensamble studio


as part of this year's venice architecture biennale, spanish practice ensamble studio 
has created 'balancing act', an installation to be showcased at the arsenal building. 

consisting of two giant beams, a spring and a rock, the project is a play of balance. 
negotiating between the old structural columns of the building, the two lines created 
by the installation draw a diagonal incision through the space. the result is a new order, 
a new rhythm to the 'tempo' already established by the existing columns. this foreign 
composition creates tension and friction, offering a new and disturbing reading of the space. 
the predominantly horizontal structure affects the verticality of the room, breaking its scale 
and introducing a new element to the arsenal building. 

'we have understood the whole arsenale as a theme of multiple counterpoint, where after
the appearance of the original space, different voices occur around that theme, developed
and carried in intervals, creating a complex compositional sequence, an architectural ''fugue'',
in which different spaces follow one another, and in which the dissonant balance of
the 'balancing act' is just one chord.' -ensamble studio

by playing with the forces present in the space, and the gravitational force that the structures 
generate, 'balancing act' makes the concept of balance tangible.


rendering of 'balancing act' 






layout of the beams


placement of the elements


load-bearing diagram


elevation and dimensions


spring detail

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