The Migliore+Servetto studio, internationally recognised for its excellence in exhibition design, designed the new headquarters of The Human Safety Net. The 3000 sqm project includes the Interior, Exhibition & Multimedia Design of the third floor and the reception spaces on the ground floor of the Procuratie Vecchie in Piazza San Marco, with artistic direction by Davide Rampello.
The project is divided into four distinct areas: an exhibition path with an innovative concept open to all, which offers visitors an immersive experience of the Generali Group Foundation and its activities; a café; a co-working area with functional zones reserved for the Foundation's activities; event rooms that flank the auditorium. The overall intervention translates into an integrated project that ranges from space to graphics and the design of the digital content and all interactions, through the study of materials and the light design, with an innovative and experimental approach – the Studio's true stylistic calling card – generating sustainable and inclusive spaces, created "for sharing" and designed in relation to the users' behaviours, expectations and needs.
The exhibition has been conceptualised by Migliore+Servetto as a progression of experiences and develops according to a prologue, three acts and an epilogue that lead visitors to discover their own potential, starting from values such as creativity, kindness, perseverance, gratitude, curiosity, hope, social intelligence and teamwork.
The central themes of the project are inclusion, innovation and sustainability, as is very evident from the beginning of the exhibition path thanks to the use of i-Mesh natural fibre fabric.
In some of these openings, the view has been enhanced through a technological enlargement system that, like Canaletto's optical machines, allows visitors to immerse themselves in the life of the piazza, through a new way of interacting with it. In addition, the installation ‘Window on Venice’ allows you to make a leap through time, exploring in 3D how various places of the city were in the sixteenth century, such as the Giudecca, the Rialto Bridge, the Arsenale, Burano and Murano.
The partitions of the spaces and the furnishings, all purpose designed by Migliore+Servetto, are placed in dialogue with the existing structures, enhancing the division of the architectural volumes of the top floor of the Procuratie. In turn, they also evoke the deep Venetian roots of the place through the materials used: glass, copper, wood, mirrors.
Venice's bond with the theatre and masks also inspired the installation that welcomes visitors, which arose from an idea by Davide Rampello: the wooden puppets of Arlecchino, Pantalone and Colombina, handcrafted by the skilled hands of the Carlo Colla Atelier and animated by a sophisticated technology, address visitors first in Venetian, and then interact directly in their own language, creating a initial moment of hospitality.
"Designing the new home of The Human Safety is a question of weaving relationships: like in a weft, threads are connected, and physical and conceptual knots are tied. This interweaving brings stories to life, encourages encounters, real or possible, and engages people. The resulting network is permeable and, at the same time, resistant. The project is a work that involves weaving spaces, things and people, through which stories and ideas flow," conclude Ico Migliore and Mara Servetto
