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Numerous tools and repair materials were transported to the world-famous Biennale grounds in the Venetian Lagoon on board an all-electric Volkswagen ID. Buzz Cargo¹. With this, the curatorial team commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Housing, Urban Development and Building completed the first stage in realising their innovative exhibition concept 'Open for Maintenance - Wegen Umbau geöffnet'.

When the 18th Architecture Biennale opens its doors in Venice on 20 May 2023, the German Pavilion will invite the public to participate directly in repair and recycling activities. The concept of the curatorial team ARCH+/SUMMACUMFEMMER/BÜRO JULIANE GREB calls for the distinctive pavilion to be transformed into a fully equipped workshop. The work began in a sustainable and resource-conserving manner with the transport of materials from Leipzig to the Venetian Lagoon.

The ID. Buzz Cargo’s load volume of nearly four cubic metres was fully filled with electric tools, hand tools and workshop equipment provided by partners of Germany’s contribution to the Biennale. In Venice, the equipment was loaded onto a boat and taken to the Giardini, the exhibition grounds in the east end of the city. In the coming weeks, under the title 'Open for Maintenance – Wegen Umbau geöffnet', the curators will set up the fully operational hands-on workshop in the German Pavilion. Here, visitors to the Biennale as well as members of international initiatives, universities and training institutions will actively place existing materials from previous exhibitions in new interrelationships. Through these activities, they will explore and demonstrate the design opportunities that maintenance, reuse and longevity present for the development of urban spaces.

The Volkswagen Group is a partner of the German contribution to the 18th Architecture Biennale, which will take place from 20 May to 26 November 2023 in Venice. This partnership for the exhibition project, which focuses on resource conservation by means of reutilisation, repair and revitalisation, is part of the company’s extensive cultural involvement. A central theme of this involvement is the promotion of new, wider access to artistic standpoints, enabling a broader public to get to know art and culture. The new perspectives gained through this are in turn essential for innovation and strengthened social understanding.

For further information on the German contribution 'Open for Maintenance – Wegen Umbau geöffnet,' go to: https://archplus.net/de/open-for-maintenance/

¹ ID. Buzz Cargo - power consumption in kWh/100 km: combined 22.3-20.3; CO₂ emissions in g/km: 0; only consumption and emission values in accordance with WLTP and not in accordance with NEDC are available for the vehicles. Information on consumption and CO₂ emissions, shown in ranges, depends on the selected vehicle equipment.