The new Rolex Pavilion for the 16th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia.
Rolex also works to promote excellence and sustainable practices in the global field of architecture. Since 2014, the company has served as exclusive Partner and Official Timepiece of the International Architecture Exhibition, La Biennale di Venezia. The biennial gathering is the world’s premier forum for architectural ideas and debate. The Rolex Pavilion is set in the Giardini, the picturesque park on the eastern edge of Venice that has been the site of the Biennale since it started in 1895. Over the years, the Rolex Pavilion, with its facade shaped like the brand’s iconic fluted bezel, has been a major attraction of the exhibition and a space to showcase Rolex’s architectural works. The pavilion has featured work by participants in the Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative, including works by Sir David Chipperfield and his protégé Simon Kretz, and Sir David Adjaye and his protégé Mariam Kamara. The program seeks out gifted young artists from all over the world and brings them together with artistic masters for a period of creative collaboration in a one-to-one mentoring relationship. Since 2002, the mentor and protégé pairs in architecture have exemplified Rolex’s mission to contribute to global culture and ensure the world’s artistic heritage is passed on to the next generation. The work of the two most recent pairings includes:
Sir David Chipperfield, Rolex Mentor in Architecture, with his Swiss protégé Simon Kretz.
In 2016-2017, British architect Sir David Chipperfield and his protégé young Swiss architect and urbanist Simon Kretz used an East London site as an example of how to help create cities that promote well-being through greater inclusiveness and innovative thinking. Their successful partnership resulted in a book: On Planning — A Thought Experiment . In 2018-2019, Sir David Adjaye and Mariam Kamara developed plans for a cultural center in Niamey, Niger. The goal is for the center to meet local needs and to both serve and dignify the communities, while using simple, affordable, local materials that are ecologically, climatically, and culturally appropriate. It will feature sustainable and traditional methods of building to forge a new kind of architecture that, at the same time, reflects an African identity. With these and other programs, Rolex has proudly made a lasting contribution to the arts, culture, architecture, and sustainability — a commitment that is parallel to, yet amounts to much more than, making great watches.
Sir David Adjaye visits the regional market in Dandaji, Niger, with his protégé Mariam Kamara, whose practice designed the project.
38 FREDRIC H. RUBEL MAGAZINE
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