Chair Project
Social Practice, 2021
Venice, Italy
Design: ZHANG Jie
For Venice Biennale-A Bench Competition
Can a bench or chair serve as a bridge between society and the individual? Can it act as a catalyst for helping citizens rebuild their lives? This project, created for the Venice Biennale-A Bench Competition, challenges the brief by not designing a new bench or chair, but instead repurposing recycled chairs as part of the urban infrastructure.
From 2019 to 2021, the pandemic triggered an unprecedented global crisis, forcing people to stay home and causing many businesses to shut down. While the worst of the crisis may be behind us, the city still faces numerous post-pandemic challenges.
In response, we propose an urban revitalization system. This system utilizes chairs recycled from closed restaurants and green PVC flooring reclaimed from the Venice Biennale. These materials will be repurposed to create temporary selling spaces in public areas throughout Venice, offering a way for bankrupt restaurant owners to relaunch their businesses.
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About
The Lab
Founded in 2019, ReBuild Lab focus on urban spaces and everyday constructions.
Outstanding Proposal (2023, China)Zhoushan Hello Islands Installation Competition
Honorable Mention (2023, Italy)
Reuse Italy Competition
Honorable Mention (2022, Estonia)
Tallinn Architecture Biennale-Vision Competition
Shortlist Nomination (2021, USA)
Ann Arbor Art Center-Alley Project
First Place (2020, UK)
Bubble Future Competition
Second Place (2019, India)
Archasm Competition
Members
ZHANG Jie / 张婕is a spatial designer and artist based in Shanghai. She trained as an architect at Huaqiao University and the University of Hong Kong from 2013 to 2020. Since relocating to Shanghai in 2020, she has focused on small-scale installations and spatial design, while continuously providing commercial interior design services for retail companies and government projects.
YANG Chen / 杨晨 is an architectural designer and illustrator based in Florence. He studied architecture at Huaqiao University (2013-2018) and Politecnico di Torino (2019-2021), and has worked at WNA Architects in Torino and ACE Srl. in Florence.
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