Venice Forever | From reality to imagination

Founded by Aldo Cibic in Milan in the late 1980s, Cibic Workshop is a multifaceted entity that, by choice and vocation, manages projects of various kinds — ranging from architecture and interior design to product design, new services, and innovative design methods — in collaboration with universities, research centers, and business incubators.

The project Venice Forever, presented at the 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale, was conceived by Cibic Workshop and Andrea Rinaldo. It explores the future of the city starting from its current critical issues: population decline, uncontrolled tourism, and the environmental fragility of the lagoon — imagining new scenarios for its regeneration. Who will live in Venice? Why can’t the canal waters be clean? How can the lagoon’s unique features be fully enhanced?

Beginning with a series of questions about the city and its future, the authors envision transforming Venice into a sustainable urban laboratory, thanks to the integration of a new community of young people with diverse professional skills into the social fabric. The collaboration with Ca’ Foscari University and experts like Andrea Rinaldo, who has studied the lagoon's water dynamics, helped outline both concrete and visionary scenarios for the city's rebirth.

The volume is enriched by illustrations by Chuck Felton, which bring to life an imaginative and futuristic Venice, reminding us how essential imagination is for building new horizons.