UnionIsland

UnionIsland: a new island for the venetian lagoon

The project sits on the threshold between feasibility and unfeasibility, more due to its Italian location, particularly in the Venice lagoon, than in general terms. This is also true for some of its architectural developments, especially the floating components, which would be easily achievable in many other contexts. The project is aimed at education, research, debate, and envisioning a city composed of self-sufficient parts, reassembling the degraded and neglected mosaic of contemporary cities and suburbs—places shaped by poorly coordinated influences disconnected from their historical evolution, unable to restore a cohesive form to settlements.

Here, the urban form is conceived as that of a multiple city, slowly taking shape, where the parts relate to the whole through transportation systems oriented toward development and the redesign of the settlement system as a whole. In the background loom the critical themes of climate change and the search for a harmonious balance between city and natural environment, with four-fifths of the settlement envisioned on stilts or floating buildings.

Context 3: The Grand canal area

The site develops across varying heights andbuilding tipologies, having buildings supported by piling systems, floating bases or traditional land-based structures. The internal division and block layout draw inspiration from Piet Mondrian's modular compositions, particularly Composition with Red, Yellow, Blue, and Black. From this reference, a 30-meter-square module was developed, which served as the foundation for subdividing the area into built-up spaces, pedestrian zones, and squares. Six different configurations for the island forms were created preliminarly, and after selecting the optimal configuration, the modular system was applied.

Using this framework, eight modules were applied across the area, creating a large-scale composition. The modular grid was then deconstructed to design individual buildings, refine the primary and secondary pathways, and emphasize the hierarchy of spaces. This process is clearly showcased in the overall volumetric plan, which delineates public spaces and highlights the varying building heights, ranging from one to four stories, basing it on an early preliminary analysis of Isola di Murano near Venice. This approach allowed the creation of a dynamic variety of spaces, fostering social and cultural vibrancy throughout the area. A key focus of our project was the introduction of new architectural functions, developed in detail. Notable elements include five planned facilities : a library, a nanotechnology laboratory, a swimming pool, an auditorium, and a multi-story parking facility serving the community. The dimensions of each structure were carefully calculated based on an analysis of the population and the area’s activities, ensuring their usefulness for all residents.