Winner: Installation design of the year. Una/Unless has designed a temporary pavilion installation for 'Swell of Spæcies', a major commission by the LAS Art Foundation of artist Josèfa Ntjam.

The pavilion and installation design by Una/Unless consists of a triangular blue prism that appears to have fallen from space within the Renaissance-era courtyard of Venice's neglected art school.

Interlocking with the building, which becomes an extension, the pavilion's symmetry and reflective surface are designed to achieve an optical illusion whereby the pavilion appears to dematerialise at night, establishing a dialogue with the context.

Its blue cladding oscillates, evoking the ocean, underlining its importance in the planetary ecosystem and Ntjam's work, which was hosted within the pavilion and at the CNR-ISMAR scientific centre, where Una/Unless conceived a satellite installation.

Judges comments: “This is an intriguing structure that lures the visitors in. It provides a direct statement in the courtyard space and contracts between two different vernaculars - that of the old and the new. The daring structure feels unexpected, futuristic, and even alien.”

Studio: UNA/UNLESS
Project: A Pavilion for Swell of Spæcies
Credits: Giulia Foscari, Federica Zambeletti, Karol Czarzasty, Silvia Sandor, Olympia Simopoulou, Francesca Benetti Genolini, LAS Art Foundation, Josèfa Ntjam and DH Office