Von der Leyen, ‘Italy is an important engine of the EU Bauhaus’ – Veneto

“Italy has responded to the new European Bauhaus with extraordinary enthusiasm. Over one hundred partners and friends of the new European Bauhaus are Italian, including the university that hosts us today in these beautiful premises and the organization Venice Urban Lab. Italy is an important engine of the new European Bauhaus and an infinite source of inspiration and innovation for our movement”. This was stated by the president of the EU Commission Ursula von der Leyen speaking at an event dedicated to the European Bauhaus at the Venice Biennale .
“There are two islands in front of the Grand Canal: San Basilio and Santa Marta. This area was initially inhabited by fishermen and their families. On summer nights, the fishermen gathered on the banks, grilled fish, chatted until late and attracted people from all over Venice. However, this space ended up being occupied by factories and warehouses, only to be abandoned in the last century. Today it is coming back to life.
This university, together with Ca’ Fòscari, the Municipality and the Port Authority, has joined a project called BoSS (Bauhaus of the Seas Sails), one of the first six demonstration projects within the new European Bauhaus. And, in fact, San Basilio and Santa Marta have been reborn. You are creating new student residences, new economic activities focused on sustainable fishing and new public spaces to reconnect this area to the lagoon. Thanks to the BoSS project you will be able to restore the natural link between the city and the port,” said von der Leyen.

“Now I will take you away from the lagoon for a moment, to the beautiful mountains that can be seen from Venice when the sky is clear. In Südtirol/Alto Adige, some local associations, together with the province and the University of Bolzano, have created a laboratory of the new European Bauhaus called the ‘Bauhaus of the mountains’. They are bringing together people from different backgrounds: architects and farmers, sculptors and scientists, designers and DJs. And they are working together on new ideas for the built environment in alpine areas. They are exploring the possibilities offered by wood. They are organizing high-flying art exhibitions. They are planning affordable and sustainable housing for young professionals. It is an experience that starts from the base and carries the spirit of the Bauhaus”, explained von der Leyen. “Finally, after the sea and the mountains, here is the border. I am not referring only to the frontier between countries, but also to the one between human civilization and nature. The third story comes from a small village called Topolò. Lost in the woods on the border between Italy and Slovenia, the village was almost completely abandoned, until some young artists and architects started moving there, determined to preserve the ancient beauty of the place. Instead of building new buildings, they have transformed the empty houses of the village into shared spaces where they can work together, eat together, create together. The whole village has become their common home. And for this, last year, they won the prize for the new European Bauhaus”, concluded the president of the Commission.