The Central Pavilion emerges from the Giardini greenery, a refreshed Venice icon

The Central Pavilion at the Giardini della Biennale is relaunching following extensive restoration, just in time for the 2026 Venice Art Biennale

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image of the restored Central Pavilion in Venice, empty from exhibitions and clean and polished
(Image credit: Marco Cappelletti Studio, Courtesy La Biennale di Venezia)

Venice's famed Central Pavilion, one of the key landmarks within the Giardini della Biennale, which hosts several of the Venice Biennale events every year, is about to reopen, following an extensive restoration. The building, a beloved destination during the world's seminal art and architecture festivals that alternate on site every other year, was in need of a refresh back when works began in December 2024. Now, the revamped structure is about to throw open its doors again, just in time for the unveiling of the 2026 Venice Art Biennale.

image of the restored Central Pavilion in Venice, empty from exhibitions and clean and polished

(Image credit: Marco Cappelletti Studio, Courtesy La Biennale di Venezia)

Tour the thoroughly refreshed Central Pavilion at Venice's Giardini

The sensitive 16-month-long process, which cost Italy's Ministry of Culture a €31 million investment as part of the country's PNC-PNRR, ‘Great Cultural Heritage Attractors’ programme, aimed at both protecting the building and enhancing the biennale's infrastructure and future potential.

The original structure, named Palazzo Pro Arte when it was first created between 1894 and 1895, was the product of the transformation and repurposing of existing buildings on site, including the Cavallerizza, designed by Tommaso Meduna, and the Palazzo dei Concerti (inaugurated at the 1887 exhibition). The Central Pavilion was developed by Venice's city engineer Enrico Trevisanato and features a façade design by the painter Marius De Maria.

image of the restored Central Pavilion in Venice, empty from exhibitions and clean and polished

(Image credit: Marco Cappelletti Studio, Courtesy La Biennale di Venezia)

image of the restored Central Pavilion in Venice, empty from exhibitions and clean and polished

(Image credit: Marco Cappelletti Studio, Courtesy La Biennale di Venezia)

The project was overseen by the biennale's Special Projects department (headed by architect Arianna Laurenzi with engineer Cristiano Frizzele). The team worked with a range of specialist professionals to complete the works to the desired high quality, among them BuroMilan - Milan Ingegneria (lead firm), Labics and architect Fabio Fumagalli for the architectural design; ia2 Studio Associato for MEP systems engineering and fire prevention; and geologist Francesco Aucone. Site supervision was entrusted to engineer Massimiliano Milan.

image of the restored Central Pavilion in Venice, empty from exhibitions and clean and polished

(Image credit: Marco Cappelletti Studio, Courtesy La Biennale di Venezia)

image of the restored Central Pavilion in Venice, empty from exhibitions and clean and polished

(Image credit: Marco Cappelletti Studio, Courtesy La Biennale di Venezia)

The Central Pavilion's restoration included a series of interventions which will bring spatial clarity and enhance functionality in the interior. Sala Chini becomes the building's main distribution core. From here, a series of clean, white and flexible exhibition areas fan out, ready to be used as needed by curators during the annual shows. Special attention was paid to details, such as the pavilion's window fixtures, which were designed by Carlo Scarpa – they have now been refurbished and reinstalled.

image of the restored Central Pavilion in Venice, empty from exhibitions and clean and polished

(Image credit: Marco Cappelletti Studio, Courtesy La Biennale di Venezia)

image of the restored Central Pavilion in Venice, empty from exhibitions and clean and polished

(Image credit: Marco Cappelletti Studio, Courtesy La Biennale di Venezia)

More key restoration points include the project's goal to obtain the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold certification sustainable architecture standard; a clever integration of technical and architectural systems throughout; the creation of additional space for the café and multipurpose use in the shape of two new outdoor structures, inspired by Venetian roof terraces, called altane; and the aim to maintain the continiuty of the spirit of the building and its original intention, without compromising 21st-century needs in both use and building performance.

image of the restored Central Pavilion in Venice, empty from exhibitions and clean and polished

(Image credit: Marco Cappelletti Studio, Courtesy La Biennale di Venezia)

The restored Central Pavilion's debut will involve hosting an exhibition titled ‘In Minor Keys’, curated by Koyo Kouoh. The show and building will open to the public on 9 May, following the 2026 Venice Art Biennale vernissage, and will remain open till 22 November 2026.

Ellie Stathaki
Ellie Stathaki

Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture & Environment Director at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018), Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020) and House London (2022).