Drifted Vessel

 Venice City Vision Competition ESALA The urban strategy of these proposals envisions the development of a productive landscape, suspended within a strategically flooded area adjacent to the ‘Università Iuav di Venezia.’ The landscape is a ‘Drifted Vessel’ the form of which has been derived from the mapping of the rise and fall of the city’s waters over the course of a year. It consists of twelve strands that have become integrated into a critically flooded area of the city to form a new constructed terrain. This terrain contains programmes that serve the University and its surrounding neighbourhood. In doing so it engages with the vast numbers of migratory students (around 18,000 daily) that enter and leave the city on a daily basis. It offers an alternative to this constant flow – facilities that would allowing temporary inhabitation and stop overs to suit the various demands of the academic timetables. The ‘Drifted Vessel’ is envisaged as a productive landscape that involves the student, the resident, the tourist and the visiting academic. Its inclusion into the urban fabric will encourage dialogue between the diverse social demographic of the neighbourhood.

Three prototypical conditions within this productive landscape have been explored in detail:

1. An Oratory
2. The formation of two new linked public spaces
3. A permanent market and cultivated parkland

1.         The proposal creates a dialogue between Venice’s University and  an existing church (‘San Nicolo dei Mendicoli’12th-16thC) by creating a small Oratory within the church to be used for worship and university lectures.  The project proposes to purposely flood the existing church, transforming it into a unique sail-in church. A kinetic acoustic drum is set within the church which is stripped back to a permeable shell.  A new design proposal is positioned against the church. This provides space for supporting programme such as choir changing room and public reception. The architecture is set within and influenced by a new productive landscape that has creates a dialogue between Venice, the university and a watery landscape.

2.         The aim of this design proposal is to provide a new connection between two neglected spaces situated next to the university. A ‘walkway’ passes through two existing buildings in the site – a 14 bedroom hotel and a block of flats currently owned and rented out by the hotel. On the existing site there is no direct access between these two buildings – the quickest pedestrian route has to divert to the nearest bridge 50m away. The ground floors of these buildings have been redesigned within this new flooded landscape and a boat entrance beneath the public walkway that passes directly through the architecture has been provided. This boat route then continues into the university courtyard where the original 17^thC formal gardens have been rediscovered.

3.         The aim of the design proposal is to bring together a number of basic architectural elements needed to create a permanent market space which is setup to be used and run by local residents and students. Communal areas for outdoor cooking could enable and encourage the interaction of the demographic present.  Taking the existing allotments, nearby a new proposition has been generated with the intention for more produce to be fed back into the area and enhance local sustainability.  The market is also used to feed students living at possible new student accommodation bordering the site.