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Venice Architecture Biennale 2016: Unsafe space

Venice – The Fair Building exhibition examines the notion of fair trade in architecture.

Buildings are usually constructed by manual labourers, many of whom work in unsafe or exploitative conditions
Certification labels, such as the Fairtrade Mark, can be found on products, but none have been designed for buildings

Fair Building, Polish Pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale 2016. Photography by Maciej Jelonek

Presented at the Polish Pavilion, the Fair Building exhibition explores issues surrounding poor working conditions in the building industry following the recent scandals surrounding high-profile building projects.

The exhibition comprises five video installations that depict workers on building sites as they discuss the dangers of the job and the accidents that have befallen their colleagues.

‘By presenting the stories of people that are directly involved in the building process, we ask whether ‘fair trade’ is achievable in the field,’ says curator Dominika Janicka. ‘If so, what would it be? Is ‘fair building’ possible?’

Frameworks and certification labels designed to reassure consumers about the ethical practices of companies are commonly found on products. But there is no similar safeguard in place for manual labourers who work on building sites.

The Big Picture

Consumers increasingly desire total transparency in the things that they buy and the brands that they buy from. See our Whole-system Thinking macrotrend to find out more.