Urban stairs form basis of winning design for Scotland's 2008 Venice Architecture Biennale project
Gareth Hoskins Architects has won the competition to design the Gathering Space, the Scottish presence at the 2008 Venice Architecture Biennale. Over 50 practices entered the competition to create the space, which is set to be a hub for a series of debates, film screenings and events, including the keynote British Council debate. All competition submissions were presented anonymously and only when the winner had been selected were details of the successful practice unveiled. Scotland’s presence at the Biennale is being led by The Lighthouse, the National Architecture and Design Centre.
Public stairs as seating has had a long tradition of being a type of informal gathering place, previous precedents include the Spanish Steps in Rome and the entrance stairs at the Metropolitan Museum in New York. These places are vital to the urban environment. If all the world is a stage, then the urban stair and the people who use them can be thought of as the audience, says Hoskins.
The vision, 'the stairs as space', proposes a physical presence in Venice that offers both an indoor auditorium and an external gathering space in an installation which will be constructed entirely from either sustainably sourced or reclaimed timber. On the outside a set of public stairs, with seating for up to 200 people, will be used both for organized events and informal gatherings. Meanwhile the stairs form a roof which rises above the indoor auditorium, a space which is expected to seat 80-100 people. The design is based on an original idea by Elisa Yon.
The Scottish Government has awarded a grant of £75,000 towards The Gathering Space as part of a programme of initiatives aimed at showcasing contemporary Scotland in an international context. The 11th Venice Architecture Biennale is directed by Aaron Betsky, formerly Director of the acclaimed Netherlands Architecture Institut.
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