Recover and improve

Venice´s inner life, going beyond the turism and attracting new inhabitants to live in it, it´s not something an artistic installation, conceptual proposal or even a good common building, can achieve. That´s why this proposal has its main interest in a serious intervention which can solve or begining to solve Venice´s inhabitants problem.

A new multipurpose infrastructure linking Venice with Giudecca would have the required power to get this goal; it would become an unexpected, surprising element in the city, but not disturbing the historical panorama of old Venice, not even about the views.

Clear intentions guide main decissions beyond aesthetics or just visual reasons.

First, Giudecca is where last developments has taken place, so most of city life is concentrated there.

On the other hand, a single intervention could may be done inside Venice, but, seems to be really harder to continue with future developments there; Venice is full!

So, why not then linking Venice with Giudecca? Lets build a bridge.

Now that young people is closer to Venice, why not improving these condition allowing new people to live on the bridge? Lets merge bridge function with housing. Young people will be attracted by rent houses with spectacular views on a new dinamic and social space in Venice.

Now that an incredible place has been created, lets improve its effect on the city and surroundings, lets make the ground floor a public space, full of life; shops, bars, restaurants, with fine views over the coast line of Venice.

Now lets give Venice flexible spaces to host public facilities of any kind, from study rooms to libraries, conference halls or even cinemas.

For sure that important firms want to host their headquarters in this place, so lets give Venice a new business center.

Situation on canal is respectful. Placed far away from the most important views of Punta della Dogana or Palladio´s churches, the new inhabited bridge does not disturb famous views over these monuments; and Hilton´s, being a hotel, will benefit the relation with the new social center.

Height of buildings does not compete with Venice´s peaks in any way, instead of that, it starts a poetic dialogue with them.

Materiality is selected to give the building a soft definition, facades will reflect the environment light, bluring it. It will not be dissolved, but will be highly integrated on site. Special polycarbonate panels are will be used to get this results.

Termal treatment can be observed in any floor and spaces typologies. Two termal barriers in section grants natural crossed ventilation in summer, and solar heat on winter. At the same time, it becomes a social space on one side, and a flexible space for the houses on the other side, not being an inner space, neither an exterior one.

The proposal is, actually, a new center, but there is no interest in competing with the old city, but in create a real contemporary place in Venice.