The "Grand Prix" of the exhibition - "Lion" for the best installation was awarded to Greg Lynn for his series of furniture made from recycled toys. The jury recognized that his work is more a provocation than a prototype for subsequent implementation, nevertheless, the boldness of his idea and an innovative approach to the theme of the Biennale - “architecture besides buildings”, as well as successful research of such important problems of the architectural sphere as the aesthetic qualities of the work, its value, production technology and the use of recycled materials seemed to the judges sufficient reason to recognize the project as the best.
Polish participants received the Golden Lion for the national pavilion with their installation Hotel Polonia. Posthumous life of buildings”. The jury of the Biennale noted their witty approach to the problem of the life cycle of buildings in a modern city outside of the countries of the "first world".
The Golden Lions for their vital contributions to architecture were awarded, as previously announced, to Frank Gehry and Renaissance architecture historian James S. Ackerman.
The Chilean group Elemental, headed by Alejandro Aravena, received the Silver Lion for the beginning architect. The works of the workshop, shown in the Experimental Architecture section, in the Italian Pavilion, are devoted to the acute social problem of housing for the poor, in particular, slum dwellers, victims of military conflicts and natural disasters.
But among the individual works and national pavilions not awarded with prizes there are many deserving attention. At the Italian Pavilion, Jacques Herzog, Pierre de Meuron and Ai Weiwei presented an exquisite installation of chairs and bamboo poles. NL Architects showed a series of witty pictures on the themes of modern urban development and the human-created environment in general, green architecture and global climate change.
For the first time, Scotland participates in the Biennale on its own: its wooden pavilion designed by Gareth Hoskins was erected on the Canale Grande embankment, next to the newly opened Santiago Calatrava Bridge, opposite the train station.
The elegant installation in the Swiss pavilion and the "greenhouse" of the Japanese participants are of interest.
The exposition of the British pavilion is devoted to housing construction, one of the problem areas of British architecture, based on the example of successful projects of British architects on the "continent". The French show GeneroCite, an exhibition dedicated to the relationship between architectural experiment and function and building program.
Participants from Estonia led a bright yellow "gas pipe" from the Russian pavilion to the German pavilion, symbolizing the Nord Stream project. It caused a mixed reaction from visitors to the Biennale; however, it is officially supported by Nord Stream AG, which will build a gas pipeline from Russia to Germany along the bottom of the Baltic Sea.
