“Deep Surface – Architecture to Enhance the Visitor Experience at UNESCO Sites” is the title of the accompanying exhibition, which will open on 9 May 2025 at the Palazzo Zorzi in Venice. The UNESCO Regional Bureau for Science and Culture in Europe describes the newly conceived exhibition as follows:

The exhibition shows visitors how the design of visitor centres helps to promote World and Natural Heritage, improve accessibility for the public, support the local economy and foster social inclusion. It aims to present UNESCO sites as learning environments for sustainable development and to help address the complexity of today’s global challenges.

Also featured: the latest educational facility of the Rhön UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, the Rhön Nature Experience Centre, with its planned exhibition for the Hammelburg site. The facility’s innovative concept, which has already received an award from the German Federal Environmental Foundation, also impressed the committee in Venice.

With its focus on the development zone of the Rhön UNESCO Biosphere Reserve – that is, the main area of human activity – the NEZ Rhön was selected as one of 50 institutions worldwide to be presented as flagship projects in Venice. Contributing factors included the consistent planning for extensive accessibility, diversity and a holistic approach to sustainability – from the choice of materials for the permanent exhibition right through to the educational modules.

“We place the diverse living environments of the people of the Rhön at the heart of the exhibition and demonstrate that sustainability can be implemented in very different ways. In doing so, we are addressing topics that no information centre in the Rhön or any other biosphere reserve in Germany has yet tackled. Clearly, we are also on an innovative path internationally,” comments Dr Joachim Schneider, Director of the NEZ Rhön, on the selection by the UNESCO Office in Venice.

“Even in its development phase, the Rhön Nature Experience Centre is already another milestone in educational work within the Rhön Biosphere Reserve,” says Dr Doris Pokorny, Head of the Bavarian Administrative Office. “We are proud that the NEZ has been selected as a contribution to the 19th Architecture Biennale and is beginning to feature in the top 50 of the UNESCO World Network.”

In Venice, alongside information panels on the individual sites, there will be a ‘cloud installation’ that creates a dynamic and immersive exhibition experience within a three-dimensional, modular structure. This serves as a display for quantitative and qualitative data, illustrating the exploration of the multifunctional UNESCO sites across four thematic areas: interpreting heritage; supporting site management; promoting access, inclusion and sustainability; and working with and for communities. The design emphasises innovative production techniques, sustainable materials and environmentally friendly practices, and is in keeping with the exhibition’s commitment to thoughtful and responsible design.

The exhibition can be viewed free of charge at the Palazzo Zorzi in Venice from 10 May to 23 November.