At the 18th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia, the Pavilion of Slovenia set out to explore the theme of ecology and the paradoxical ways in which architecture relates to it. Instead of understanding it strictly through energy-efficient adaptations like heat pumps or recovery ventilation, the exhibition titled +/- 1 °C: In Search of a Well-Tempered Architecture aims to address the theme holistically. The Pavilion curators Jure Grohar, Eva Gusel, Maša Mertelj, Anja Vidic, Matic Vrabič, together with fifty European architects and creatives, researched and analyzed vernacular buildings from Europe to gain insight into the living example of intuitive adaptations.
The curators aim to expand the range of adaptations to include more than the engineering-related high-tech solutions. As ecology represents an integral component of modernity, it needs to be understood holistically by the architecture discipline. The current situation, as described by the curators, understands energy efficiency as a separate and independent component of a building, often perceived as a „restrictive villain that manifests itself through strict technological and legislative conditions.”
The alternative is a better understanding of the complex relationship between architecture and the environment. Vernacular architecture can offer clues into more specific adaptations that employ efficient yet low-technology solutions. Architectural concepts used to intuitively follow the energy requirements of their climatic, material, and topographical context. „In other words, vernacular architecture has always been maximally energy-efficient with regard to both the means and conditions at hand.”
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Emerging Themes at the 2023 Venice Architecture Biennale: Highlights from the National PavilionsThe project of the Slovenian Pavilion consists of three parts: a spatial installation in the Arsenale, a conference held in Ljubljana in autumn 2023 focused on the issue of ecology, and a publication further exploring the complex subject. The installation presented in Venice presents five energy principles inspired by vernacular architecture but easily adaptable to contemporary practices. The principles of the room within a room, hotspot, intermediate zone, cocoon, and spatial compression, are materialized in different environments by adapting the wooden frame structure.
The theme of ecology has been picked up by many national pavilions during this year’s edition of the Venice Architecture Biennale. The Philippine pavilion investigates the ecology and social implication of Tripa de Galina estuary in Manila, the Egyptian Pavilion looks at the role of the River Nile for its urban development, while the Croatian Pavilion celebrates the harmonious coexistence of the wild and domesticated, natural and man-made, and inanimate and living elements in the Lonja Wetlands in Croatia.
