Identity and change in the reuse of Masieri Memorial by Carlo Scarpa in Venice

The Masieri Foundation was established in memory of Angelo Masieri, a collaborator of Carlo Scarpa, tragically died in 1952. The memorial was built on a typical Venetian triangular plot, at the corner of the Grand Canal and Rio Novo: in the area was situated a vernacular three-floor palace that should have been replaced by a new building commissioned to Frank Lloyd Wright. He designed a residence and study center for architecture students but the project was rejected to protect the city’s historical appearance from the change. In 1968 Scarpa imagined to realize the Masieri Memorial by removing the interior walls and floors of the original palace, leaving the historical outer walls as a shell within which entirely modern spaces were constructed. The current building is the representation of both continuity and change: the ancient façade, visible from the canal, and the new insertion, a masterpiece of light and details. The building, felt into disuse, is now owned by the Angelo Masieri Foundation. In 2016 a preliminary conservation and adaptive reuse plan was elaborated: the first goal is to enhance the history of the building and to preserve the details of the Scarpa’s work. The second aim is to achieve a balance between conservation and transformation choosing a suitable use of the building: it will be turned into a research center to host students and professors coming from Italian and foreign universities, in compliance with the legacy provisions and the articles of association of the Masieri Foundation.