Venice Urban Lab

Open Rooms Venice – Inhabiting the Void

Satellite event of the New European Bauhaus Festival 2026
Sunday, June 14, 2026 | Sant’Anna, Castello, Venice

 

Over 150 people shared their projects and creativity at Sant’Anna in Venice’s Castello district during the “Open Rooms Venice – Inhabiting the Void” initiative, organized by Venice Urban Lab as a satellite event of the Festival of the New European Bauhaus 2026.

It was a day of celebration and collective contribution dedicated to the idea of space as a common good. The initiative aimed to highlight the importance of revitalizing abandoned spaces for the vitality of this island city.​

 

The discussion began with S. Anna, presented by OSA Osservatorio S. Anna, followed by Forte di S. Andrea, a project by Microclima, and a five-a-side football pitch at La Salute, presented by A.s.d. S. Elena, the agrovoltaic park and energy community at Vignole, the ‘Vigne ritrovate’ project by the ‘Laguna nel bicchiere’ Association, the now-famous Poveglia Island – transformed into a public park by the ‘Poveglia per tutti’ Association – and, finally, the vast Tese dell’Arsenale as a cultural hub proposed by Aizenev.

 

The lively debate that ensued, thanks to contributions from local residents and numerous councillors from the Municipality of Venice, Murano and Burano, as well as other associations such as OCIO, Venice Calls and La Gondola, revealed a strong shared vision regarding the positive regeneration projects already underway; a vision that could become a driving force if applied to the many unresolved issues still facing the city and the lagoon.​

 

The social lunch organised by the TOCIA! culinary collective was a huge success.

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In the afternoon, the cloister came to life with contributions from other organisations such as Rete Verso and SUMUS, creative workshops for girls, boys and adults, exhibitions of photographs and artworks, Hatha Yoga sessions, an urban walk through the sestiere, and a corner dedicated to projects for Venice. Residents of the Sestiere contributed spontaneously to the day: some by writing a poem dedicated to the event, others by accompanying songs on the guitar, and others still by enthusiastically adding to the atmosphere of the gathering and the closing aperitif, with the support of Select.

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Thank you to everyone for taking part, sharing, listening and helping to make this day possible.