Generali announces Venice's Procuratie Vecchie restoration to finish by year-end

• The future home of The Human Safety Net opens to the public in spring 2022
• Model by David Chipperfield Architects Milan will now go on display in the Venice Royal Gardens 
• First images from behind the iconic façade in St Mark’s Square

Venice – Generali announces that Venice’s Procuratie Vecchie in Saint Mark's Square is on track to open its doors to the public in spring 2022, for the first time in its 500-year history, following a five-year restoration of the building carried out by David Chipperfield Architects Milan.

To mark the start of the count-down to its inauguration, a model of the building, showing part of the interventions, is going on public display from today in the Human Garden space within the Royal Gardens, which itself reopened to the public in 2019 following a five-year restoration by the Venice Gardens Foundation in partnership with Generali.

The model, constructed of wood, opens out into six parts, displaying the magnificent façade of the building as well as letting visitors enjoy an immersive look inside at some of the interventions carried out in the building’s various spaces.

In addition, never-before-seen photos documenting the building’s respectful transformation have been released. They show the extent of the works and the challenges of preserving the building's history, while making it fit for modern and sustainable use for the next 500 years.

The opening of the Procuratie Vecchie follows an ambitious five-year restoration project and is due to be completed by the end of the year. The project has not been defined by a single concept or architectural gesture, but through a series of interventions that address the complexity of the work. These included the restoration of the first and second floors, the reorganisation of accessibility and usability of the building through the inclusion of new staircases and the renovation of the central pavilion on the third floor.

The intervention promoted by Generali will enhance the third floor to include exhibition spaces open to the public and linked to The Human Safety Net foundation, workspaces and an auditorium. The historic building, which runs along the northern edge of the square, will become a major new destination and hub of activity, as well as one with a social purpose. It will become the headquarters of The Human Safety Net, a global movement of NGOs, volunteers and partners, working with people living in vulnerable circumstances so that they can transform the lives of their families and communities.

The re-opening rounds off a special year for Generali, which marked its 190th anniversary in 2021 with an array of initiatives geared towards economic recovery and sustainability. The Procuratie Vecchie will also be part of the ambitious project to make Venice the World Capital of Sustainability.

The Generali Group CEO, Philippe Donnet stated: "Companies have a role to play that goes beyond their core business. They can make a difference in the communities in which they operate with actions that have a meaningful and lasting impact. As part of our commitment to sustainability and as the culmination of the celebrations of Generali’s 190th anniversary, we want to give a new life and purpose to the Procuratie Vecchie in Venice. As the home of The Human Safety Net, this iconic building will become the hub for the exchange of ideas to overcome today’s social challenges, and it will inspire visitors to take action to unlock the potential of individuals living in vulnerable conditions. I would like to thank everyone from near and far who helped make this dream a reality!"

David Chipperfield, said "It has been an enormous privilege to work on the Procuratie Vecchie, not only for the significance of the building’s architecture and centuries of history, but also for the role it plays in defining one of the most inspiring civic spaces in the world. Through our project we are carefully reunifying and adapting the building’s fabric as well as reviving the role and meaning of the Procuratie Vecchie for Venice not merely as an attraction but as a vibrant place of activity in a living city. The strength of such a project relies on the quality of collaborations, and we are hugely grateful to our client, advisors and the teams on site for their inspiring commitment throughout this project. We look forward with great excitement to its public opening next year.”
 

Follow the final stages of the re-opening and find out more about the building, its restoration, and its new purpose at www.thehomevenice.com and @thehomevenice on Instagram.