'Capriccio', according to Filippo Baldinucci, is “a dreamlike interpretation of the subject of a work that comes from a free imagination”. Venice and its Lagoon were designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987. A recent UNESCO mission report to the site found that the steering committee, made up of 21 organisational bodies, lacked ‘a shared vision for Venice among the many different stakeholders’, and had ‘no commonly developed and accepted mechanisms’ for decision making. Tidal barriers in construction since 2005 have been held back due to corruption scandals.

'The Steering Committee’s Capriccio' is a proposal for a new headquarters and debating chamber for the UNESCO steering committee for Venice. It is thought that a highly visible proposal will become a new landmark for the city, increasing transparency of and participation in debates regarding the city’s operation and preservation.

Four key ‘Capriccio’ views have been set out as the heart of the project, defining what needs to occur in the framework of the building as a whole. The capriccio serve a dual purpose throughout the project, as both tool and outcome.

Quote: Parshall, P. (September 2011) 'Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo: The Pastiche as Capriccio'. Print Quarterly. 28(3): 327–330