New Long Wing

Brought to its final configuration by Giovanni Buora at the end of the fifteenth century, the Long Wing of the monastery on the island of San Giorgio Maggiore in Venice is an extraordinary space. In the course of time it has housed monks’ cells, army accommodation, public dormitories, and classrooms. Adapted to contain part of the Cini Foundation’s History of Art library, this hanging gallery is 128 metres long and occupies the north west portion of the ex-Benedictine monastery. Both sides of its wide corridor were formerly occupied by fifty-six individual cells. The restoration project, resulting from a competition held in 2005, clads the walls of the main hall with a double row of open metal shelving capable of containing about 100,000 catalogued volumes in 1400 straight metres of shelves. Wooden portals frame the small doors of the monastery cells and support the balconies. Set at the centre of the space are reading tables, whilst located in the cells, variously connected according to needs, are the service offices and rooms reserved for scholars and consultation. The lighting is precise, and the LED lamp supports conceal the fire prevention system. Thanks to the lighting solutions adopted, the wall structures do not have to be altered, thereby avoiding raceways and crossings. The weights are unloaded directly onto the existing bearing partitions without upsetting the architecture’s static balance.