AIA Hosts Symposium on Precarious Cities at Venice Biennale
by Andrew Goldberg, Assoc. AIA
Manager, federal regulatory activities

Summary: The AIA, in conjunction with the State Department and Architectural Record magazine, helped organize the U.S. entry to the Venice Biennale, which features the submissions and winners of the Architectural Record/Tulane University competition for visionary proposals and designs for housing for New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. The entry and related biennale programs draw attention to the role of architects in helping cities in precarious environments, like New Orleans. The symposium took place September 9 outside the U.S. pavilion at the biennale, one of the largest international architecture exhibitions in the world.

Lessons for urban areas
David Brems, AIA, chair of the AIA Committee on Design Advisory Group, kicked off the half-day symposium by pointing out that nearly half of the world’s population lives in urban areas, many of which are threatened by flooding and other natural hazards. “As architects we are as committed as ever to creating urban spaces that are prosperous, exciting, and livable,” Brems said. “But we are confronted with the dual challenge of making cities both vibrant and safe. One thing we in the U.S. learned a year ago is that even a great world city, a place rich in culture and history, can nearly be lost. And you don’t have to spend a lot of time in this city to understand how much Venice both depends on water and yet is threatened by it. New Orleans and Venice have much in common, but they also share a lot with cities around the globe. We can all learn a lot from each other.”

Reed Kroloff, dean of the Tulane School of Architecture and one of the leaders of efforts to rebuild New Orleans, gave the keynote address, highlighting the large amount of work that needs to be done to help the Gulf Coast recover. He said that, like many residents of the region, “I find myself trapped between certainty and fear, between knowing and not knowing what will happen next.” The symposium also featured a panel discussion with AIA Continental Europe members Giancarlo Alhadeff, AIA, and Thomas Vonier, FAIA, RIBA, along with Aaron Betsky, director of the Netherlands Architecture Institute, and Jane da Mosto, a leading expert on Venice’s lagoon. In addition, two of the student winners of the Architectural Record/Tulane competition and a group of students from the University of Venice spoke about their studies in urban sustainability.

The AIA/State Department collaboration follows on their successful partnership in organizing the U.S. entry in the Sao Paulo, Brazil, architecture biennale in the fall of 2005.