Asplund Pavilion Venice Biennale 2018

ALPI Xilo Striped XL White is a classic veneer developed in collaboration with Piero Lissoni and cameoed in the 2018 Asplund Pavilion, Venice, by Alpi.

Designed by Architects Francesco Magnani and Trudy Pelzel on the Island of San Giorgio Maggiore, the Pavilion was developed around the architectural vocabulary of traditional Scandinavian wooden stave churches:  a prismatic crystal-like form clad entirely in ALPI wood.  The exterior was wrapped in 9000 experimental dark grey timber veneer shingles and the interior is lined entirely in ALPI Xilo Striped XL White designed to house a temporary exhibition of original drawings by Gunnar Asplund for the Woodland Chapel.

The Asplund Pavilion is symbolic of Alpi’s commitment to the world of design, and continued commitment to innovation and technology in timber veneer. In the words of Vittorio Alpi, ‘We developed this experimental design; a complete novelty in the context of our business.  This type of challenge stimulates us to achieve beauty while solving new technical problems. This challenge was not easy, but we accepted it with enthusiasm, and we are very pleased to have gotten beyond what we believed were some of our limitations. All of us at the company are proud to have contributed to this exceptional project with our work.” VA 2018

Built on their commitment to ongoing research, design collaboration and innovation in wood, this project reflects Alpi’s focus and passion for the visual arts and the world of design.