Deep Surfaces: Architecture to enhance the visitor experience of UNESCO sites.
4930 Salizada Zorzi Venezia
May 10 – November 23, 2025
Palazzo Zorzi
The Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU), in partnership with UNESCO, presents Deep Surfaces: Architecture to Enhance the Visitor Experience of UNESCO Sites, a thought-provoking exhibition set within the historic Palazzo Zorzi in Venice. Running through November 23, the exhibition showcases over 50 architectural projects drawn from UNESCO-designated locations—including World Heritage Sites, Biosphere Reserves, and Global Geoparks.
This initiative examines how architecture can actively contribute to preserving cultural and natural heritage while enhancing accessibility, promoting sustainability, and fostering meaningful engagement with local communities. From contemporary constructions to adaptive reuse and modest spatial interventions, the featured projects propose new ways of activating heritage sites as educational spaces for global citizenship and sustainable development
A special focus is dedicated to Hegra in AlUla, Saudi Arabia’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site. Through a dedicated installation, visitors can explore the site’s interpretive and management framework developed by RCU, offering insights into the balance between conservation and public experience.
Central to the exhibition is The Cloud, an immersive, modular installation that transforms thematic and analytical content—spanning interpretation, management, accessibility, sustainability, and community connection—into a dynamic, spatial experience.