Henriquez Partners Architects in collaboration with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and European Cultural Centre first displayed GHETTO at the European Cultural Centre’s 2021 Venice Architecture Biennale, themed “How will we live together?”. The exhibition travelled to the Art Gallery of Ontario in 2022 and is showing at the Museum of Vancouver August 23 to November 12, 2023.

GHETTO is a theoretical rezoning project that proposes the development of housing for refugees through the transfer of wealth created by the sale of timeshare condominiums to American tourists in Venice, and now Vancouver. The exhibition considers the role of the architect in creating spaces for inclusion and questions the architect’s role as a “cordial convener and a custodian of the spatial contract.” This theoretical project aims to continue the conversation in Vancouver, a city with similar challenges to Venice including issues of housing unaffordability, economic dependence on tourism, an influx of immigrants and the displacement of residents.

The exhibition has been honoured with awards from the European Cultural Centre, Architecture MasterPrize, Architizer A+ and Azure Magazine.