‘Gateway to Venice's Waterway’ is a response to the current transport challenges facing the Italian port city and aims to initiate a discourse on sustainable urban change. The 37-metre-long installation is the physical manifestation of the intersection between design and architecture and is also reminiscent of Venice's historic network of bridges. The visual hub acts as a gateway to e-mobility by creating a connection to new electric means of transportation on land and water. These include water bikes (Schiller bikes) and electric sports boats (Frauscher x Porsche 850 Fantom Air with the all-electric drive of the Porsche Macan Turbo). During the opening week of the Biennale, these will be used as emission-free mobility solutions. Other alternative ideas for urban transportation will also be on display, developed by students from Style Porsche and Studio F.A. Porsche Zell am See.
Documentation of the design process and construction will be shown to guests during the vernissage at Palazzo Pisani Moretta and the Gateway at the Arsenale.
‘Porsche is and remains a brand that is characterised by a highly demanding field of tension between tradition and innovation,’ says Michael Mauer, Vice President, Style Porsche. ‘This means that we as a design team are constantly dealing with the question of how we can strategically shape the future of our brand in terms of identity and authenticity. The exchange with Lord Norman Foster and his team is a very valuable source of inspiration. This look beyond the confines of pure vehicle design provides us with important impulses for the consistent, but also future-oriented direction of our brand.’
‘Dreaming awakens a sense of limitless possibilities and the courage to imagine what does not yet exist. It's about imagining bold solutions to seemingly insurmountable challenges,’ says British architect Lord Norman Foster. ‘In this project, dreaming meant imagining a Venice where historic preservation and advanced mobility coexist. We have created a blueprint for urban innovation that respects the past while embracing the future.’
As the start of a new joint venture, Gateway also initiates discussions beyond architecture: the Norman Foster Foundation and Porsche will expand their collaboration and explore the future of the automobile. On display are joint sketches that outline a vision for the future of individual mobility. They form the cornerstone for the continuation of the partnership.
Urban mobility, sustainably advanced
‘Intelligens. Natural. Artificial. Collective’ is the theme of this year's Biennale Architettura. The installation interprets how dreams and reality combine, inspired by nature and technology. A strong focus on sustainability as well as the use of recycled materials and environmentally friendly systems is evident throughout both the construction and operation of the hub. These practices are based on the lightweight construction concept of the 908. Similar to the lattice tube frame of the legendary race car, a solid aluminium structure forms the backbone of the artwork. The kinetic surface is inspired by the cube pattern of the new Macan and ensures minimal environmental impact while maximising resource efficiency.
The initiative is not an isolated response to Venice's challenge, but rather part of a global vision. The aim is to show how visionary design can reconcile the complex demands of modern urban life and sustainability.
About ‘The Art of Dreams’
‘The Art of Dreams’ was first presented in October 2021 in Paris at the Palais Galliera with the installation ‘Remember Your Dreams’ by Cyril Lancelin. For each edition, Porsche invites an artist or collective to create an installation on the theme of dreams. ‘The Art of Dreams’ is part of important art platforms, including: Singapore Art Week, Milan Design Week and Art Basel Miami, the Design Parade Hyères festival and Frieze Seoul. Previous collaborations with artists include: Ruby Barber, Chris Labrooy, Numen/For Use, Thomas Trum, Capsule Global, Audrey Large, Theóphile Blandet, Ezra Miller, Kwang Ho Lee and Niceworkshop.
About the Norman Foster Foundation
The eighth edition of the design and art initiative ‘The Art of Dreams’ has been created in collaboration with the Norman Foster Foundation. British architect Norman Foster is one of the world's most renowned architects. The well-known projects of his company Foster + Partners include Beijing Airport, the Millau Viaduct in France, 30 St. Mary Axe (also known as the Gherkin) and the Great Court of the British Museum in London, the Hearst Headquarters tower in New York, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and the conversion of the Reichstag building in Berlin.
Foster is President of the Norman Foster Foundation, founded in 1999. The Madrid-based foundation promotes interdisciplinary thinking and research to help new generations anticipate the future. At the heart of its work is Norman Foster's philosophy that architecture, infrastructure and urban planning have a direct impact on the quality of life. Since its foundation, the organization has promoted new approaches and research through workshops, forums and scholarships.
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The 19th International Architecture Exhibition of the Biennale di Venezia, entitled 'Intelligens. Natural. Artificial. Collective', curated by Carlo Ratti, is open to the public from May 10 to November 23, 2025.
