CQA Exhibits at the 19th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venice
- Cunningham | Quill Architects
- Sep 8
- 2 min read
Creation of Our Exhibit in the United States Pavilion for PORCH: An Architecture of Generosity
Cunningham Quill Architects is honored to have been selected to exhibit in the United States Pavilion at the 19th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venice. One of 54 architects, landscape architects, designers and artists selected through a national juried Open Call from across the U.S. and its territories, our project is part of the exhibition that showcases the diversity of contemporary American design. Organized and led by Co-Commissioners Peter MacKeith, Dean of the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design at the University of Arkansas; Susan Chin, Founding Principal, DesignConnects; and Rod Bigelow, Executive Director, Crystal Bridges Museum of Art and the Momentary, PORCH: An Architecture of Generosity explores the porch as a site of civic and cultural life through 54 curated exhibitor models (Porch-Windows), a library of books by exhibitors & others and American Porch Life - a series of panels illustrating the role of the porch through American history by the UACDC.
The Exhibit
Creation of Our Exhibit: Our firm was selected to exhibit our award-winning family focused affordable housing project “Terraces East: Linking to Neighborhood & Nature” with Affordable Homes & Communities, Inc. (AHC) and it’s community porch illustrating multiple interpretations of this social space, a place of welcome, play, engagement, belonging and connection to home. So, what went into the design of our exhibition contribution?
Each exhibitor was asked to design and construct a “porch-window” exhibit display “condensing and depicting the principles, character and ambitions evinced in the submitted project to the Open Call”. The construction could be abstracted or distilled from the submission and, as suggested by Biennale Director Carlo Ratti, could be “understood as a ‘global toolbox’ presenting resources, instruments and inspirations”. The outer dimensions of the vertical plywood display boxes were to measure approximately 2’- 0” (585mm) wide x 3’- 0” (885mm) tall x 1’- 0” (293mm) deep. These “windows” would be inserted into the U.S. Pavilion’s prefabricated display system. We chose to present our project through the lens of our firm’s model making and visualization culture by creating three (3) tactile models of our porch allowing multiple interactive views and interpretations of the three- dimensional gathering space.
The following images tell the story of the design exploration and process journey of the collaborative creation of the Biennale “Porch-Window” exhibit by our exhibit team and exhibit box skilled carpenter.
The Process
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