Restored Arsenale Warehouses House New Biennale Historical Archive

La Biennale di Venezia recently unveiled the new headquarters for its Historical Archive – International Center for Research on Contemporary Arts (ASAC) at the Arsenale. The project transforms a series of historic industrial buildings into a 8,000-square-meter cultural infrastructure dedicated to the preservation, study, and production of contemporary arts documentation. This relocation moves the institutional memory of the Biennale from its previous site in Marghera to the heart of Venice’s primary exhibition precinct.

The intervention involved the adaptive reuse of five interconnected structures known as the Officine e Magazzini del Ferro. These buildings extend over 200 meters parallel to the Corderie, creating a unified campus for researchers, students, and the public. The Italian Ministry of Culture provided €38 million in funding to support the construction and restoration, which the team completed on schedule following a March 2024 start date.

Industrial heritage adapts to contemporary research needs

The design team organized the internal program to balance specialized preservation with public accessibility. The ninety-meter-long Congegnatori e Aggiustatori building contains the technical core of the facility, including restoration laboratories and cataloging areas. Multi-level compact shelving systems increase the storage capacity from 5,000 to 8,000 linear meters, allowing the institution to house its vast collection of photographic archives, audio recordings, and posters in one location.

Climate-control technology manages the interior environment to protect sensitive paper-based and multimedia materials. Meanwhile, the Magazzini del Ferro buildings offer open consultation spaces where visitors engage with digital and physical collections. These areas support flexible research methods, connecting the historic documentary resources with modern educational and experimental programs.

Spatial integration connects archives with exhibition cycles

The new headquarters facilitates a permanent presence for the ASAC within the exhibition circuit of the Giardini and the Arsenale. Beyond storage and study, the facility includes multifunctional spaces for workshops, exhibitions, and architecture programs. A new restaurant and public amenities ensure the complex functions as a year-round destination rather than a closed repository. This spatial strategy encourages a direct dialogue between the historical records of past exhibitions and the creation of new artistic work.

The project forms part of a larger institutional initiative involving 22 separate works across Venice, including the Lido and Forte Marghera. By centralizing the archive, the Biennale strengthens its collaboration with international universities and researchers. The move effectively transforms the archive from a remote storage site into an active participant in the city’s urban and cultural fabric.

✦ ArchUp Editorial Insight

The relocation of the ASAC headquarters to the Arsenale represents a critical shift from archival seclusion to urban integration. By repurposing the Magazzini del Ferro, the project preserves 8,000 square meters of Venice’s industrial heritage while solving an urgent logistical need for expanded storage. The intervention replaces the isolated VEGA site in Marghera with a visible, accessible research environment that physically connects the Biennale’s history to its active exhibition grounds. This move establishes the archive as a vital spatial component of the exhibition sequence, ensuring that the institutional memory functions as a generative tool for contemporary production rather than a static historical record.