Figure 1: Teatro del Mondo sketchby Aldo Rossi.

Bailey Lowrey

May 7, 2015

ARCH 4023: Eight Architects

Professor Jeff Shannon

Historical Influences of the Teatro del Mondo

The human experience includes

day-by-day encounters with the built

realm. People interact, function,

and live their lives within

buildings that not only provide

shelter, but also create

environments that influence an

individual’s understanding of the

world around them. As one observes and tries to better

comprehend their surroundings, a person might question the

intentions of the architects that designed their built

environment. As Mark Gelernter writes, “At the beginning of

the design process, the architect possesses only a random

collection of information, requirements, intentions, and

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assumptions, and then suddenly on the drawing board appears

a proposal for a building form. How is this idea generated,

what influences its shape, from what is it derived?”. The

answers to these questions are found through exploring the

beliefs and theories held by the designer. The architect’s

intentions and motivations become a testament to the process

of the design and are seen in the completed building.

Through the analysis of the architect’s strategy and

theoretical beliefs, this paper examines the Teatro del

Mondo by Aldo Rossi, a contemporary, though ephemeral,

building that was able to integrate and communicate with the

historical context of the city of Venice.

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Aldo Rossi was an Italian architect that began his

career in the 1960s. From the beginning, Rossi focused his

intentions on the city, believing

that it was a reflection of the

human condition (Moneo, 104). Rossi

scientifically analyzed the city

into separate parts such as type,

monument, and place creating a new

architectural vocabulary in his

book, L’architettura della città. He

believed in timeless architecture

that was shown in his “theory of permanences” that stated

“essential forms will emerge from the collective memory of

the city as embodied in its monuments” (Livesey, 77).

According to Rossi, “monuments” (examples of type within

cities) are places where memories are stored and the history

of architecture can be learned. In addition, Rossi’s

understood cities as theatres of human events. The Teatro

del Mondo was a literal theatre that created events

throughout the city with its movement. As a monument, the

Figure 2: Teatro del Mondo sketch by Aldo Rossi.

Figure 3: Shakespeare’s Theatre of the World.

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Teatro was able to recreate the interpretation of memories

as it traveled through the city generating new backdrops for

the theatre as it changed surroundings (Jo, 233).

The Teatro del Mondo was built for the 1979-1980

Biennale as a moving, floating theatre that would serve as a

temporary addition to the bi-annual art exhibition in

Venice. The Teatro was an opportunity for Rossi to explore

the use of contemporary design that could function within a

historic context. Rossi was able to create such a building

through the examination of historical and modern day

references that are seen in the

elements of the final building.

Typology was a main influence in

the strategy Rossi took towards

developing his work as a way to

connect it to the historic city. His

“process of analogically transforming

typologies, traced the memory of an

artifact back toward its constantly

removed origins” (Jo, 234). The

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Teatro was directly influenced and inspired by the

typologies of Venetian floating pavilions of the Renaissance

(233). The Teatro del Mondo has specific connections with

Shakespeare’s Theatre of the World (also known as the Global

Theatre) and the anatomical theatre at Padua. The Teatro is

related to the Shakespeare’s Theatre of the World through

not only its name, but also in its focus on making the actor

the focal point of the theatre. The original Global theatre

was a small theatre (similar to that of the Teatro) which

allowed it to engage the audience through their close

proximity to the stage allowing them to become one with the

actors. [Figure 3]. The Teatro del Mondo contrasts the

Global theatre through its layout, which more closely

resembles Padua’s anatomical theatre. The Teatro could be

considered an iteration of the anatomical theatre type that

centralized its design on the human figure. These anatomical

theatres do not contain backdrops, but instead placed the

audience in a circle surrounding the stage.[Figure 4].The

central stage was located so that the audience could observe

the cadaver with no obstruction of views. Rossi’s symbolism

Figure 4: Padua’s anatomical theatre.

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with references to the

anatomical theatre, a place of

scientific exploration of the

human body, reveals his career

focus on creating a scientific

architecture. As seen in both

plan and section, the Teatro deviates from this anatomical

theatre type on its lowest floor where instead the stage is

shaped like a corridor that flows from the entrance to a

window with two seating areas on opposite sides. This design

decision allowed for greater movement for the actors as well

as an opportunity for light to enter the theatre on the

lower levels. The upper stories retain the centrality of the

anatomical theatres through their circulation and seating in

the balconies (Rossi 69). [Figure 5 & 6].

Figure 5 & 6: Section, elevations, and plans of the Teatro del Mondo.

Figure 7: Brant Point Lighthouse.

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The Teatro’s location on the

water allowed for the architect to make several design

decisions based on the relationship between the structure

and the sea. The theatre

could be seen a boundary

between water and land.

Rossi’s travels to America

during the 1970’s provided

him with a new repertoire

of architectural references

that related to the ocean. In particular, the shape of the

Teatro reflects that

of the lighthouses seen on the Maine coast (a place that

Figure 8: Sketch of Teatro del Mondo showing the similarities between itself and the

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Rossi was quite fond of during his travels). In its

comparison to a lighthouse, the theatre would not only be

considered a beacon of light, but also a building

purposefully built for the sea. [Figure 7 & 8].

Functionally, a lighthouse is a place to see and be seen,

and this fact can be observed in the addition of the

Teatro’s windows. These windows are positioned at levels on

the building that allowed for audience members in the

interior to see the surrounding sea and the horizon line,

never letting them forget their physical relationship to the

sea. The windows’ may also reference houses in Maine with

their crossed mullions (Rossi 67).

Figure 9: Teatro del Mondo floating beside the Dogana da Mar showing the similarities in scale.

Figure 10: The top spheres of the Teatro del Mondo and the Dogana da Mar.

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The greatest

influence on the

design of the

theatre is the

city of Venice

itself. The

Venetian

influences can be

seen in the scale,

color, and

materials of the

Teatro. The scale

of the Teatro del

Mondo directly

relates to the height of the Dogana da Mar. [Figure 9].

This Dogana is the first building seen by ships entering at

the intersection of the Grand and Giudecca Canals in Venice.

The large sphere of the Dogana is seen in smaller form at

the top of the Teatro del Mondo, making the theatre a

typological abstract of the Venetian building. [Figure 10].

Figure 11: Teatro del Mar against the Venetian skyline. The Teatro’s pitched roof blends with the

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The color of the blue elements on the exterior portions of

the Teatro, reference both the sky and the water that

surrounds the city of Venice. The main materials seen on the

exterior of the Teatro are iron and wood. The iron pitched

roof is similarly tinted as the light green coloring found

on the roofs of the Venetian skyline as well as reflecting

the colors of the sea. [Figure 11]. While, the wood

exterior (and the fact

that the theatre floats itself) becomes a representation of

the wooden boats and barges that have traveled through the

city for hundreds of years (66-67). [Figure 12].

Even though the

building only functioned

for two years, the Teatro

del Mondo has been

considered by some as one

of the Aldo Rossi’s

greatest works. The Teatro’s design allowed for a seamless

interaction of the contemporary with the historic. Through

the use of typology and past references, the building was a

Figure 12: Teatro del Mondo pulled by tugboat referencing the main type of travel that has been a part of Venetian culture for hundreds of years.

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part of the historic context but also separated from it,

allowing for a dialogue between the Teatro and the city of

Venice. There are many interpretations of how the architect

reached his successful final design and many may be true,

while others are not. These interpret-tations can best be

summed up by the architect himself, “I have read many things

about my work- often the most strange and disparate things-

and I cannot say, as one often does in such cases, that I

have learned anything. I have learned only that many

opinions are valid, even when they do not coincide with what

the artist had in mind” (71).

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Works Cited

Gelernter, Mark. Sources of Architectural Form: A Critical History of Western Design Theory. New York: Manchster University Press, 1995.

Jo, Seungkoo. “Aldo Rossi: Architecture and Memory.” Journal of Asian Architecture and Building Engineering 2 (2003): 231-237.

Livesey, Graham. “Narrative, Ephemerality, and the Architecture of the Contemporary City.” ProQuest Dissertations and Theses (1991):71-90.

Rossi, Aldo. A Scientific Autobiography. London: The MIT Press, 1981.