Site 01 – Arsenale

Site Description

The origin of the collection of shipyards and workshops dates back to the 12th century. These buildings constituted the heart of the war and naval industry that contributed to the maritime expansion of the Serenissima. The first nucleus of the Arsenale Vecchio was built in an area behind St. Mark’s basin, strategically positioned for reasons of defence and accessibility to the wood supply needed for shipbuilding. Closely linked to the economic development of the city, the area would be continually modified over the centuries according to the technological changes in industry and the changing demands of the Maritime Republic and commercial transport. With the end of the Republic in 1797, the Arsenal began its slow decline due to the inability to update production and the increasingly difficult coexistence between production activities and the historic centre. To enhance the touristic and cultural dimension of the site the presence of the Navy and some shipbuilding activities would remain in the Old Arsenal to the west, while entrusting the restoration and conversion of the south-eastern part to the Venice Biennale with its exhibition and administrative spaces.

Site Opportunities

Could a project explore the significant cultural value of the site inc. the wider Arsenale precinct via the recovery, restoration or reuse of the test of the Galeazze and the Nappe (on the northern border of the Darsena Nuovissima), a redevelopment of the external spaces, and a rethinking of access to the area?

Site 02 – Ex Italgas

Site Description

The ex-Italgas area is one of the areas with the greatest potential for urban transformation in Venice today. This is due both to its size and to its strategic position close to the three main entry points to the city: Piazzale Roma, Venezia Santa Lucia railway station and Tronchetto). The site is also conveniently located near the the Ca’ Foscari University campus at Santa
Marta and also to the Port. The area became predominantly industrial following the construction of a railway bridge in the mid-nineteenth century. From 1907 to 1970, the production plants that supplied gas to the city, owned by the Italgas company, were in operation here.

Site Opportunities

Could a project define a new neighbourhood for the city by exploring new residential forms and mixed accessibility: by road, rail and water? A combination of residential, office and other commercial enterprise could support a new and vibrant urban life capitalizing on the spatial crossroads that integrate the area with the varied urban fabrics of its borders.

Site 03 -Ex Umberto I

Site Description

At the time of the Serenissima, the area, located in the Cannaregio district at the northern end of the historic centre, was a place dedicated to military training. Since then it is known as the precinct of the former Umberto I Children’s Hospital and comprises a group of buildings accessed from Fondamenta Riformati. The children’s hospital was built at the end of the
19th century and subsequently dedicated to King Umberto I of Savoy in 1901. Since the 1980s, following its decommissioning, the site has been used as a sports facility, a park and also as the headquarters of social institutions, including the Casa dell’Ospitalità di Venezia.

Site Opportunities

The site, which includes the well-established Sant’Alvise sports complex, proximity to the Cà Foscari campus in San Giobbe and the waterbus stop, is strategically positioned with respect to the northern lagoon. Could, therefore, a project consider the theme of innovative housing typology? This could include the creation of low-cost housing, co-housing initiatives and other innovative solutions for contemporary forms of collective living related to accessibility and sporting facilities.

Site 04 – Rari Nantes

Site Description

The project area is made up of urban entities generated by overlapping infrastructure built at different times over the centuries. One entity, a swimming pool built in the Grand Canal (and part of the site) was founded in 1920, active until 1970 and owned by the Raris Nantes Sports Club. Today the site is confined between the railway line and the moorings for large freight boats. A second entity consists of a small triangular-shaped lot, resulting from the construction of roads linking the Ponte della Libertà to Piazzale Roma and Tronchetto – here, there is an important group of buildings that includes the old headquarters of the Marsilio publishing house. The final entity consists of a circular fort located under the Ponte della Libertà, here, a space for the storage of the boats of the nearby rowing club is found.

Site Opportunities

A project could consider reconnecting the isolated entities with the urban form of the city and expand the site’s strategic position by connecting it to the mainland via the three primary transport nodes nearby: Venezia Santa Lucia railway station, Piazzale Roma and Tronchetto. The site is a significant node relative not only to the commute between Venice and the mainland, but to its proximity to important canals.

Site 05 – Sant’Elena

Site Description

The island first developed around the Church and Monastery of Sant’Elena. Napoleonic laws and 19th-century transformations drastically changed the area with important building works extending its territory until it became part of the historic city. Today, the island of Sant’Elena consists of two docks for private boats to the east, a sports complex that includes a stadium (home to the Serie A football team Venezia F.C) and the “Francesco Morosini” Naval Military School to the south. To the west there is a residential area surrounded by a green area that includes part of the Giardini della Biennale, and the ACTV shipyard; the municipal company responsible for managing public transport, which has now moved its activities to Tronchetto.

Site Opportunities

Could the design bring together or celebrate the peculiar mix of programme found on the island? Housing, accessibility, urban and green landscape may be important considerations, as may the significance of the island as home for the Venice football club. The site, with its existing marina, cultural and green sporting areas provides opportunity for continuity between the settlements to the south with those to the north on the island of Olivolo.