Punta della Dogana

The former sea customs house at the tip of the island was completed in 1682. Its tower carries two figures of Atlas holding a golden sphere, topped by a turning figure of Fortune that shows the direction of the wind. The building served as a customs house until the 1980s, then stood empty for twenty years before the city sought a new use as a home for contemporary art.

The Japanese architect and his office renovated it to house a private art collection. Later additions were removed to reveal the original brick walls and timber roof trusses, which were carefully restored.

At the centre of the long, triangular plan, the design team placed a cube of smooth concrete, a new heart for the old warehouse. Around it, the galleries follow the rhythm of the original bays, and openings frame views of the water at the point of the island.