Fusina Terminal Park
Tourist water terminal in the lagoon to reach Venice
Venice is a city on the water. It is a collection of islands at the centre of a vast lagoon with only one bridge linking it to the mainland. Venice is also a city of water. The ever increasing flows of mass tourism have made it indispensable to plan two new waterfront terminals: the first, to the north of the airport, designed by Frank Gehry; the second, in Fusina, was the object of an international competition awarded to our office in collaboration with Ove Arup and Thetis.
The Tourist Terminal has a double façade: a modular parking structure defines the end on dry land; the end toward the water is instead a fully equipped harbour, delimited by two “arms”. These two buildings supported on piles extend toward the lagoon, entering into a dialogue with the water and creating a virtual work of architecture. Depending on the hour of the day, the sun’s rays generate movements and plays of shadow and light that alter the perception of the building’s volumes. This effect is amplified by the gull wing roof in Teflon fluctuating above a large covered plaza overlooking the harbour. This is the point of departure for boats moving along a broad canal whose rhythm is defined by sets of “briccole” (mooring dolphins). From here it takes only a few minutes to reach the heart of the island and St. Mark’s Square.
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