VENEZIA

“No, we are not and do not want to be just a museum, a hotel, a vacation resort, a Prussian blue horizon where foreigners come for their honeymoon.” Gabriele D’Annunzio Prose di Ricerca, 1927. The city of Venice is constantly viewed from afar; from Turner, to Canaletto, to the tourist on a cruise ship, the city is often perceived very differently. The fundamental process of how the city is viewed and then understood is explored in Venice through the urban proposition of a threshold to the city. The territory between the island of Murano and mainland Cannregio, is located in a prominent position within which to question the current arrangement of the entrance to the city. The territory was explored in great depth, picking out elements of interest, ultimately informing the basis of the proposal and its application within Venice.

Venice is a mercantile city at heart and will always gravitate towards the world of money in some way; either from its initial merchant nature, to the placement of the first world bank, to its current ‘tourist city’ state. Whilst there is no getting away from this reality, there is definitely scope to take the pressure away from the Western and Southern edge of Venice and re-orientate the tourists’ entry into the city. Currently 379,000 passengers access the city on public transport daily through Piazzale Roma, whilst a further 327,000 disembark at San Marco. These figures stand in stark contrast to the mere 146,000 people using transport on the Fondamente Nove; with the majority of whom solely visiting Murano, there is a sound argument for the integration of a new access point for tourists, students and businessmen alike, through Fondamente Nove. San Marco is a bottle-neck for tourists and the redistribution from the main entry point to Venice would dissipate this over-crowding, allowing a new initial vision of the city.

Creating new interventions in the lagoon territory between Murano and mainland Cannaregio, fraying the edge of Fondamente Nove and creating strand like routes, weaving and filtering through into Venice, not only relieves the current problem but creates a new gateway to the city. The view of Venice from afar would be reinterpreted and our proposal would bring elements of the city out into the lagoon. By questioning the conflicting views of Venice upon approach to the city with that from within, the exploration of bringing aspects of Venice out into the lagoon encourages a pause in the journey and almost a prelude to what is to be expected within.

Facilities are provided for the tourist to leave his luggage, beds for businessmen to stay the night, a lost and found to retrieve any misplaced belongings, studios for students, sprinkler systems for San Michele, cleaning and storage space for fishermen, a boat hire for tourists and a sea port to integrate the new access point into Venice. The overall scheme is a filter of sorts; allowing the visitor to find their desired path, which caters to their specific needs, into the city of Venice.

There is the environmentally sustainable aspect of the Water Purification Filter; which provides water for the plants of San Michele, and a clean water supply for mainland Venice. The Glass Recycling Point in the old harbour at Cannaregio is also integral in the promotion of sustainability within the city; this glass is then crushed and redistributed out to the glassblowers of Murano. The Tourist Port is fundamental in the redistribution of the tourist population throughout the city, allowing a new gateway into Venice. The Business Port is a way in which to integrate the mercantile nature of the city with the reality of the current modern day city, accepting the fact that Venice would not be anything without the external influence of the business world. There is a new 21st century market place within Venice, that of real estate and the tourist. The heritage of Venice is also embraced through the link with the island of San Michele and the place of contemplation created for families to spend time before a relatives body is sent out to the cemetery island to rest.

It is a way in which to create a balance between the old and the new Venice; encouraging the remembrance of the beauty of the historic fabric and values of the city, whilst appreciating the importance that the tourist now holds in the support of the current running of Venice. It would be naïve to suggest that the Venice we know today could survive without the tourist and the businessman. In embracing the city’s ever increasing number of visitors, we have explored not only a new access point to Venice in which to reinterpret the city, but also a space to enjoy and spend time absorbing the qualities which are rarely viewed or appreciated.