Maintenance 1:1 – Creating a Sustainable Meeting Place with Reused Materials

A Circular Design Pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale

In the context of the 18th Venice Architecture Biennale 2023, the German Pavilion launched a forward-thinking reuse laboratory under the theme of care, repair, and maintenance. From this initiative emerged “Maintenance 1:1 – Creating a Meeting Place”, a sustainable architectural intervention designed and built collaboratively by students and faculty from ETH Zürich, the University of Antwerp, and the University of Venice.

Taking place at Campo Sportivo Jacopo Reggio on Lido island, this project transformed salvaged materials from over 40 national pavilions of the 2022 Venice Art Biennale into a permanent, community-centered architectural structure. The result: a modest yet impactful 34 m² pavilion that functions as an enclosed terrace for a local football club, offering both social engagement and architectural innovation.

A Community-Driven Workshop in Circular Architecture

The six-day intensive design-build workshop brought together 18 architecture students who were tasked with designing and constructing a structure using only reclaimed materials and a pre-existing steel support frame. The participants worked on-site and at the reuse workshop in the German Pavilion, practicing availability-based design, a method that prioritizes what materials are accessible over starting from scratch.

Through hands-on collaboration, participants analyzed the material stock—including timber, cement fiber boards, foam, fabric, multiplex panels, and steel sheets—before developing modular systems that could be easily assembled, disassembled, and repurposed.

Designing with Local Needs and Seasonal Adaptability in Mind

The final structure was conceived with local climate and community usage in mind. Its semi-permanent envelope is crafted with corrugated concrete panels and cement fiber boards for durability, while fabric-lined, lightweight detachable frames allow full openness toward the football pitch. This design ensures cross-ventilation during Venice’s hot summers and flexibility throughout the seasons.

Inside, a circular window offers a visual connection to the sports field entrance, while the terrace frames unobstructed views of the pitch. The pavilion’s most finished façade—facing the approach to the café—includes a golden mirror, blending functionality and playful design as athletes refresh themselves.

Architecture as an Educational and Social Tool

“Maintenance 1:1” is more than a pavilion—it’s a living case study in adaptive reuse, participatory design, and the pedagogy of making. It demonstrates how sustainability in architecture can go beyond energy efficiency by integrating material circularity, community involvement, and educational experimentation.

The entire construction process emphasized hands-on learning, resourcefulness, and design integrity, without compromising on aesthetics or durability. Every design decision was grounded in material availability and site-specific response, making the pavilion a model for sustainable public architecture.

A Future of Many Afterlives

The pavilion redefines the idea of permanence. Built to be dismantled and reused, the structure sets a precedent for modular architecture with a low environmental footprint. It bridges the gap between temporary exhibition architecture and long-term utility, offering inspiration for future urban interventions, community projects, and design education programs.

In its built form and conceptual depth, Maintenance 1:1 exemplifies how architecture can be both a meeting place and a medium of sustainable transformation.

All the photographs are works of Mario Rinke