Preservation institutions and starchitecture in Venice: the approval process behind Constitution Bridge and the Fondaco dei Tedeschi

Abstract This article examines the role of preservation institutions in shaping ‘starchitect’ projects in Venice through a comparative analysis of the approval processes for Santiago Calatrava’s Constitution Bridge (1996–2008) and OMA's adaptive reuse of Fondaco dei Tedeschi as a luxury retail complex (2009–2016). The methodology combined archival research (primarily drawing on the files of the Superintendency of Venice and Its Lagoon), press analysis, bibliographical review, field observations, and interviews. Using the lens of assemblage thinking, four key dynamics were identified: (1) preservation officials' discretionary power operated within multiscalar assemblages in multidirectional geographies of power; (2) core material agencies were highly relevant elements but were subject to the political stakes of each project; (3) local firms served as mediators between preservation bodies and starchitects, while assemblage expanders added further complexity; and (4) international actors globalised the assemblages, but approval processes remained within local and national boundaries. The case of Constitution Bridge demonstrated how powerful political drivers can coopt local preservation bodies, leading to acquiescence and fast-tracked approvals that bypass rigorous oversight. In contrast, the Fondaco case shows how assertive intervention by national institutions can enforce conservation principles against private economic pressure, leading to a materially different, negotiated outcome.