A Theatrical Sequence: Cà Select Multifunctional Space in Venice by Marcante-Testa.

What’s your aperitif of choice? Mine’s a Negroni; enjoyed sitting out the front of some of Melbourne’s finest bars when the weather is a balmy 25 degrees. Enjoying one at Cà Select, however, would be another experience in itself. Located along the river in the Cannaregio district of Venice, there would be nothing better than hopping off a sandolo and into the world of specialised aperitifs.

The history of the Venetian spritz brand, Select, holds close ties to the city. Torino-based architecture practice Marcante-Testa was tasked with crafting a multifunctional home for the aperitif brand as a place for cultural events open to the city while ensuring the venue reinterpreted revived aspects of Venice’s historic identity. The heritage building, once a metalworking shop, also played a role in this.

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Much like an aperitif, there are various things going on inside the 700-square-meter venue. Upon walking in off the waterways, a tunnel clad in high-gloss tiles funnels visitors into the mixology space. With a large blue counter wrapping along the core of the interior, the architects lean into using bottles and long-stemmed glasses to form integral architectural elements and lighting components.

Red is a prominent colour, being the common thread that weaves the mixology space into other parts of the building. A production area is almost entirely clad in red glass, allowing visitors to get a glimpse into the maceration process of key ingredients such as rhubarb and juniper berries. Curated by the multidisciplinary design collective Studio Fludd, a dedicated museum-like area shares the story of the Select brand with visitors, illustrating the historic ties that it maintains with the greater city of Venice.

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Wooden ceiling trusses dating back to the initial construction of the historic building were deliberately left exposed to “constitute an element of spatial continuity”, share Marcante-Testa. The materiality of Cà Select is a mosaic of historical local traditions of craftsmanship and contemporary influence on existing objects such as drinking glasses and bottles. A Venetian-style seminato floor is created by inlaying glass and marble into the flooring slab. Custom mosaics near the entrance are also based on sketches by Spanish polymath and fashion designer Mariano Fortuny. The bar is clad in fused glass, “alluding to a slight wave-like movement which acts as a reminder of the constantly moving surface of the Venetian lagoon,” explain Marcante-Testa.

It’s no surprise that Marcante-Testa note the “overall experience of the new space has been envisioned as a theatrical sequence”. From the moment visitors enter the building, there is a cocktail of things to look at (or should we say an aperitif?). From highly theatric production areas filtered through red glass to the delicate glasswork above the bar, it’s clear the architects have utilised a range of techniques, both new and old, to create a venue that leans into the strong relationship that the brand, Select, has with the city of Venice.

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[Images courtesy of Marcante-Testa. Photography by Helenio Barbetta.]