Production: Mauro Baronchelli, Sara Maggioni, Kristine Jærn Pilgaard, Microclima
Construction: Costruzioni e Restauri G. Salmistrari
Graphic Design: Greta Fassina, Samuel Michaelsson
Photography Documentation: Joe Habben, Matteo de Mayda, Clelia Cadamuro
Funding Partners: Fondazione In Between Art Film, Fundación TBA21, The Peace Pagoda (Nicoletta Fiorucci Foundation)


For the future of Forte Sant'Andrea, the winning project is by MicroClima, an international collective of architects, environmental experts, project managers, landscape architects, researchers, cultural managers, engineers, and designers, forming an alliance between artistic practice and scientific research. 

The project reimagines Forte Sant'Andrea, an extraordinary a 16th-century fortification located on the island of Sant'Andrea in the Venetian Lagoon, to create an inclusive space for interdisciplinary knowledge exchange, for community engagement and for everyday use, as well as a contemporary observatory for climate resilience and ecological consciousness laboratory through artistic practices and scientific research. 

With the involvement of the local community, the project aims to restore the entire island of Sant'Andrea to public use, making it progressively accessible, safe, and hospitable. The aim is to restore public access to the island while preserving its layered history and spontaneous vegetation, creating an ecosystem where heritage, nature, and innovation coexist. The concession will last for 30 years, with an estimated investment of around €8 million. Once the restoration and renovation work is complete, the Fort will become a space for artistic and cultural initiatives and research projects: not an exhibition space, but a true open ecosystem of research and reflection.

Key Components and solutions

Presentation of the Site

This massive fortress spans an area of around 2,5 hectares, comprised of a central tower, ancillary structures, and roughly three hundred meters of waterfront walls, spaced by forty gunboats placed by the water and a second battery placed on the terraces.The regeneration and valorisation of the Forte Sant’Andrea complex must take into account the surrounding context, such as the functional purpose of the site, the management methods and redevelopment strategies of the nearby islands and, as well as the uniqueness and fragility of the lagoon ecosystem.The valorisation of the Fortress should be achieved through the design and concept of a development model that integrates environmental, social and economic elements.

Expected Land Use:
The transformation should focus on making the site accessible to the public, creating new places for the community. The project will have to be repurposed according to the "low carbon" principle, in compliance with the guidelines provided by the Superintendence, as outlined in the Fortress's Decree of Restriction, ensuring interventions are carried out with a focus on sustainability. Mixed functions can be integrated, including cultural and museum activities to preserve the historical significance of the compound, potentially extending to research and innovative activities, as well as recreational functions and sports (complementary to museums and tourism), can be incorporated into open spaces, as well as tourist accommodations and services for the public.