Overview

 

 

Genoma: Spandrel is a research-based installation exhibited in the Italian Pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale. The project explores the concept of architectural exaptation, transforming biological logics and unintended evolutionary “spandrels” into new architectural forms. As part of the fabrication and design team (opportunity given me by recommendation and personal "networkin")  I contributed to the concept creation of the prototypes and supported the development of its formal language and material expression.

 

 

 

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Concept & Aesthetic Framework

 

 

The installation is grounded in:

 

• exaptation: repurposing biological or generative forms into architecture

• biological morphologies translated into structural logic

• a hybrid style that merges alien brutalism with organic growth patterns

 

 

A key reference was the “alien brutalist style of the tail”, whose aesthetic, rigid, segmented, and biomechanical, guided the geometry, articulation, and surface textures of the prototype.

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Design Development

 

 

I collaborated in the refinement of:

 

• the geometric structure, based on layered, evolutionary-inspired patterns

• the formal articulation of the segments

• the translation of conceptual sketches into fabricable components

• surface rhythms echoing both biological anatomy and brutalist mass

 

 

My work helped stabilize the visual identity of the installation while maintaining the conceptual link to biological exaptation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3D Fabrication & Prototyping

 

 

I contributed directly to the high-quality prototype, working on:

 

• 3D modeling optimization for fabrication and wood production

• preparation of files for advanced 3D realization

• assembly detailing

• testing of structural continuity and tolerances

 

 

The prototype served both as an exhibition piece and as a proof of concept for full-scale architectural extrapolation.

 

 

 

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Team Collaboration

 

 

The project was developed through a coordinated effort involving:

 

• the Pavilion’s curatorial and research team

• designers and digital fabrication specialists

• technical consultants for material and structural behavior

 

 

My role required continuous communication with the team to ensure that the design intent, fabrication constraints, and conceptual framework aligned seamlessly.