A BRICK FOR VENICE re-interprets the iconic forms of the beautiful Venetian chimneys, while exploring the potential of using dredged waste sediment from the Venetian canals and other waste by-products from the surrounding industrial areas, to create a low-carbon brick from and for Venice. This is of particular importance in a time of climate emergency and provides a vision for forming closed-loop systems in our built environment.

In 2023, brick is still a primary construction material, with around 1.5 trillion bricks produced globally every year, burning 375 million tonnes of coal. Around 87% of this production is clustered within Asia, which adds an extensive carbon footprint to the bricks as they are transported to the other continents.
A BRICK FOR VENICE re-thinks these outmoded manufacturing methods through the upcycling of local waste materials, in conjunction with a profoundly local production strategy, to drastically reduce the notional brick’s embodied emissions.
The pavilion offers a clear proof of concept that, when scaled up, strengthens the operational sustainability of Venice’s day-to-day maintenance, providing a closed-loop, circular-economy framework that’s undeniably critical if we are to attain a carbon neutral future.
Link to video here.

Silt material was collected from the island, analysed, mixed with other local waste aggregates and prototyped as a new brick. The bricks were made using a hydraulic press, and were not fired in a kiln.






A Brick for Venice is a research project initiated by UR in collaboration with AKT II engineers and LOCAL WORKS STUDIO material designers. Funded by the Tyréns Foundation, these research findings address complex issues surrounding the circular economy in our cities that, if implemented on a wider scale, could equate to large savings in world carbon emissions.
The temporary pavilion – which is exhibited as part of the European Cultural Centre’s ‘Time Space Existence’ programme during the 2023 Venice Architecture Biennale – is the first proof of concept for this novel waste-based construction product, which has been tested, specified and is now available for construction.


Type: Architecture
Location: Venice, Italy
Size: 2m2
For: European Cultural Centre, Tyrens foundation
Status: Completed
Featured in: Archdaily, Design Museum (How to Build a Low-Carbon Home exhibition July 2023 – March 2024), Time Space Existence 2023, Domus, Monocle, DEZEEN SUSTAINABILITY AWARD LONGLIST
Collaborators: AKT II, Local Works Studio
With thanks to: Gaetano di Gregorio, Valerio Volpe, Andrea Siega, Venice Port Authority, Jacopo Vantini
Photography: Matteo Losurdo and Era Savvides