La Biennale di Venezia

16th International Architecture Exhibition

Michael Maltzan Architecture’s “Star Apartments” installation is now on view in the 16th International Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia.

The Scale of the City / A floor-to-ceiling isometric mural drawing and aerial video footage of Los Angeles shows the building within the context of the expansive metropolis that is characterized by an open, free and layered non-hierarchical continuum of space. A panoramic video elevation shows the activity and character of the street life along the building.

The Scale of the Community / The architectural organization of the building is clearly shown in the large ¾” = 1’-0” model that is centered in the exhibition space. Companion drawings show the building organization in greater detail. The second-floor community level, an open and accessible horizontal plane of free activity that includes a community kitchen, gardens, walking track, and sports court, is rendered in greater detail in both the model and drawings.

The Scale of the Individual / The free space of each apartment, or the freedom to define personal space, results in a rich diversity of interiors defined by the residents themselves. The diversity of the building’s residents is highlighted in the 1” = 1’-0” diorama models of individual apartments, large-scale photographs of objects that residents identified as their most important belongings, and finally in their own words through a series of video interviews and apartment tours.

Check out the exhibit Photospheres.

Video installations directed and produced by Myles Kramer.

Street section, Skid Row panorama

The featured video installation is an 11-screen, video-wall panorama that covers three blocks of 6th street in downtown Los Angeles. This installation allows viewers to experience day-in-the-life documentation of a small portion of the homeless population living in Los Angeles. The purpose of the installation is to show how many California residents are currently living on the streets, and bring awareness to solutions for homelessness.

Apartment tours, inside the Star Apartments

Displayed on the back of the miniature apartment dioramas are guided tours lead by the residents of the Star apartments. In the series of 13 tours, we learn about the lives of these previously homeless residents and hear stories from before and after they found housing.