La Libreria is a temporary bookstore pavilion designed in collaboration with Diller Scofidio + Renfro and Transsolar. Sited at the entrance of the Giardini della Biennale park, the structure serves as an interim home of bookseller Electa during the 2025 Architecture Biennale while renovation work is carried out on the central pavilion.
Inspired by the tensegrity studies of engineer Robert le Ricolais, a lightweight steel tensile structure was designed to support a semi-transparent STFE membrane enclosure. The primary structural element, spanning 24 meters, consists of a slender central spine stabilized by opposing spirals of 14 tensioned cables. Working together, these elements behave as a beam that is used to support the membrane surface for all horizontal wind loads. As the pavilion is unanchored to the ground and stabilized by by ballasts and books, the structure is easily demounted and transported to other locations at the end of the Biennale.
