Of all the cities in the world in which you might expect a legendary carmaker such as Porsche to debut its latest project, perhaps the least likely would be Venice, most famous for its comparative lack of roads.
Things begin to make a bit more sense, however, when you understand that the project in question is an installation created in partnership with the Norman Foster Foundation, appearing in Venice for the Biennale — the world-renowned exhibition of architecture which opened on May 10.
Called ‘Gateway to Venice’s Waterway’, the installation is a 37m (about 121ft) pontoon-like structure that, according to Porsche, ‘represents the vision of a transportation hub for Venice.’ Taking inspiration from the canal city’s network of bridges, it is described as a ‘response to the challenges facing the Italian port’ that aims to ‘initiate a discourse on sustainable urban change.’ And you thought Porsche was just about lap times and limited-slip differentials.
The structure, whose curved, tubular form combines elements of Fosters’ expertise in organic, polygonal glass buildings with a lattice-like framework that Porsche says evokes the chassis of its 908 racecar, is located at the Arsenale Biennale and will house exhibitions on future proposals for urban transit.
More than that, however: during the first week of the Biennale it will actually serve as a station for electric boats, powered by the same motors found in Porsche’s Macan Turbo EV, and electric city bikes, made by Schiller. Among the ideas on display within the exhibition are studies by students at Porsche Style, the company’s design studio, and Studio F.A. Porsche, better known as Porsche Design, the accessories brand founded in 1972.
Norman Foster and Michael Mauer, Vice President, Style Porsche, examine the Gateway to Venice's Waterway.
The main challenges facing Venice — overcrowding and increased risk of flooding due to climate change — are not directly addressed by the study, although sustainability of construction and emission-free transportation are two key themes. Lord Foster, president of the Norman Foster Foundation and one of Britain’s greatest living architects, said that: ‘Dreaming awakens a sense of limitless possibilities and the courage to imagine what does not yet exist. It’s about imagining bold solutions to seemingly insurmountable challenges. In this project, dreaming meant imagining a Venice where historic preservation and advanced mobility coexist.’
The installation is the eighth iteration of Porsche’s ‘Art of Dreams’ initiative, a design programme that began in 2021, through which the car company collaborates with an artist to create something that speaks to the title (and that usually holds at least a loose connection to the current crop of vehicles). Separately, this year’s project at the Biennale also initiates a longer-running partnership with the Norman Foster Foundation, wherein the two partners will ‘explore the future of the automobile’.
Click here for everything you need to know about Venice
-
Cocker spaniels: The indefatigable dog breed with medieval lineage that stole David Beckham’s heartOnce bred to flush out woodcock, now found in royal estates and Hollywood homes — the Cocker Spaniel’s charm knows no bounds.
-
20 breathtaking country homes for sale, as seen in Country LifeWe take a look at some of the finest houses to come to market via Country Life in the past week.
-
'A bluff, honest man in the trappings of greatness': The extraordinary story of the Foundling Hospital, and the sailor who saved the abandoned children of LondonA remarkable charitable endeavour to save abandoned children on the streets of London has a touching legacy in the form of the The Foundling Museum in the very centre of London. John Goodall tells its story; photographs by Will Pryce.
-
Where is 'The Traitors' filmed? Inside a storied Scottish castle that was sold via the pages of Country Life three timesMelanie Bryans delves into the Country Life archives and uncloaks the history of the turreted Highland castle made famous by the global TV franchise, 'The Traitors'.
-
Stefan Pitman: Making great country houses cost less to heat than a suburban semiThe trailblazing architect Stefan Pitman — founder of SPASE — joins the Country Life Podcast.
-
The Henry VII-era house that was dismantled piece by piece and shipped to the USAAgecroft Hall, near Manchester, didn't meet the same miserable end as some of Britain's other country homes. Instead, it was shipped to the USA and repurposed as a museum.
-
The great house that is 'one of the most compelling products of Britain’s 18th-century love affair with Antiquity'John Goodall looks at the sources of inspiration behind the design for the magnificently idiosyncratic West Wycombe Park in Buckinghamshire.
-
Say goodbye to the traditional ski shop and hello to the 'boot room of the future' — as reimagined by Norman FosterThe British architect has completed the first phase of a major transformation at the Kulm Hotel in St Moritz.
-
The unfortunate case of the Tudor estate that was bombed, torn apart for firewood and then buried underneath a golf courseFew houses have suffered a fate as protracted and violent as Belhus in Essex.
-
Belmont House: The 'jewel in Kent’s celebrated crown', created by a decorated soldier who was sent to prison and premature death by false accusationsBelmont House in Kent is a Georgian creation rich in military associations, now run by a trust. Steven Brindle looks at its history and the remarkable architect responsible for its design; photographs by Will Pryce for Country Life.
