university of poetics and exactitude, 2016

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university of poetics and exactitude

Is it possible to overcome the emptiness of Poveglia with one single movement? This movement can be represented by an axis (2). We will assume this axis as a mean of transposition once it is essential to the Venetian Lagoon culture. An axis defines a direction that makes possible an “ideal” grid (4). There is, indeed, another grid, a “real” grid stablished by the preexistances (3). From the intersection of both, the real and the ideal, new spatial possibilities became visible (5). In Venice, science and poetry are in communion. Its ancient constructions have already gently lost their original alignment, their tortuous paths distract our minds from the immense technology behind their subsistence. The university of poetry and exactitude, inspired by its location, seeks to discuss this tension in depth.

A suspended walkway, 8m above the ground, glide us above the ruins, allowing nature to remain untouched. To promote coexistance of times, a transportation device, 12m high, crosses the island in less than 10 minutes. The new transposition links the ruins to new architecture creating a coherent system, which can be called the campus.

(1) typical section;
(2) station section;
(3) split section.

The central building is designed as an envelope that contains its own atmosphere, even though it is visually connected to the exterior. The nature enters this envelope from the ground floor and blends both exterior and interior. There are three main types of spaces: laboratories, modular classrooms and open studios, articulated by a void that connects to the campus' main circulation system.

The main existing building becomes the central library, split in two rooms: collection and study room. The collection room, three floor high, is organized by a core that functions both as a bookshelf and vertical circulation structure. Hanging mezzanines accesses the books and the open terrace above the study room. A precise recession in the octogon’s geometry creates an inclined square that invites to enter the auditorium and to access the suspended walkway through a first station.

One university for the future should have a wide diversity of students. The accomodations halls were designed in order to receive different people with unique lifestyles, diverse ages and preferences . (1) A small ensuite bedroom with shared kitchen. (2) An apartment with inside kitchen. (3) A home for people with special needs drawn with universal mobility. (4) An small complete apartment. (5) An apartment with two bedrooms that can house a small family, a home office or an atelier.