pihlmann

‘Build of Site’ is the official contribution to the Danish Pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale 2025. The project operates at the intersection of construction and exhibition, using the occasion to initiate long-term improvements to the pavilion while exploring methods for repurposing surplus materials directly on site.

Rather than producing a temporary installation, the exhibition channels its resources into the renovation of the pavilion. This work is based on findings from a 2016 analysis that identified structural and environmental challenges, including recurring flooding and an increasingly unstable floor. Renovation began prior to the opening and will continue after the exhibition closes, involving upgrades to floors, doors, and windows.

During the exhibition period, the pavilion exists as a hybrid space: part construction site, part laboratory. The elements on display are derived entirely from the renovation process. Materials typically regarded as construction waste — fragments, offcuts, and discarded components — have been reconfigured into architectural elements such as ramps, benches, podiums, and tables.

These transformations are carried out in close collaboration with specialists across disciplines, drawing on a range of approaches including bio-based methods, digital fabrication, and reuse techniques. Attention is directed not to the novelty of materials, but to their capacity to perform and persist in new configurations.

Historically, architectural construction was shaped by what could be sourced locally. Today, the material landscape is defined by what already exists — a built environment rich in components that are often overlooked. ‘Build of Site’ responds to this context by focusing on what is at hand: not raw, but residual; not discarded, but reintegrated.

At the conclusion of the exhibition, all elements will be folded back into the ongoing renovation. Modified windows and doors will be reinstated, preserved sandstone tiles will be relaid, and tiles damaged during construction will be crushed and cast into new terrazzo floors.

In connection with the exhibition, the book 'Making Matter What Too Often Does Not Matter' (Verlag der Buchhandlung Walther und Franz König / Danish Architectural Press) and the documentary 'Make Materials Matter' (Louisiana Channel) were published.

‘Build of Site’ is curated by Søren Pihlmann, commissioned by the Danish Architecture Center, and developed in collaboration with a range of experts.

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Commissioner:
Danish Architecture Center

Construction w. rammed earth:
Felix Hilgert (Lehmag AG / ETH Zürich)

Construction w. biobased binders:
Julian Christ (University of Copenhagen)
Carlotta Borgato, Jan Boelen

Non-destructive scanning:
Serkan Karatosun, Katja Irene Møller (Technical University of Denmark)

Measured survey and historical research:
Victor Boye, Alberte Hyttel Reddersen, Thomas Kampmann, Lars Rolfsted Mortensen (Royal Danish Academy – Architecture, Design, Conservation; Institute of Architecture and Culture; Cultural Heritage, Transformation and Conservation)

Structural engineering:
Yasuhiro Kaneda

Management and on-site construction:
M+B Studio srl

On-site construction:
Gjerulff & Lassen A/S

Carpentry:
Spazio Legno Venezia srl

Concrete crushing:
Studio Gisto

Concrete reuse:
Oxara AG

Graphic design:
Line-Gry Hørup (stanza)

Documentary:
Marc-Christoph Wagner, Simon Weyhe (Louisiana Channel)

Publication:
Adam Dickinson, Marianne Krogh, Chrissie Muhr
Line-Gry Hørup (stanza)
Hampus Berndtson
Verlag der Buchhandlung Walther und Franz König
Danish Architectural Press
Grafiche Veneziane

Supported by:
The Ministry of Culture
The Danish Arts Foundation’s Committe for Architecture
Realdania

The Dreyer Foundation
The Knud Højgaard Foundation
The Beckett Foundation
The Otto Møntsted Foundation
The Politiken Foundation
The Arne V. Schleschs Foundation
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs