House 3A is a reforming project of an ancient building of the 17 century located in the heart of Venice, behind the gorgeous Jewish district, next to the "Tre Archi" bridge. The building contains 3 apartments; two of them have an access from a common part on the back of the building. The building is a clear example of the 1600 traditional Venetian architecture. Imperceptible, invisible, incorporeal these are the key words that have characterized our intervention. The concept of reforming is characterized by the idea of restoring statically the old wood carrying structures and retraining the common parts. Our project becomes imperceptible. The elements that overloaded the façades during the centuries has been removed, bringing the building to the ancient conformation, also thanks to the historical and urbanistic analysis that revealed the original Venetian red colour that in the past characterized the building. Ruskin wrote about Venice: ”a ghost upon the sands of the sea, so weak, so quiet, so bereft of all but her loveliness, that we might well doubt, as we watched her faint reflection in the mirage of the lagoon, which was the City, and which the shadow.”

Photo courtesy Giulio Boem