Venice Studio Project

About

Giant Cruise Ship Stopper/ Hercules Hotel

It was born out of poetic imagination, making off with bits left by others.

Giant Cruise Ship Stopper/Hercules Hotel used the Teatro del Mondo of Aldo Rossi, as a subject, combined the image and motif of the staircase at Peter Wilson’s feet to represent the reflections on mass tourism, urban heritage and environment in Venice, Italy.

" It will be a new Monument for Venice. It will be a new Lighthouse for gondolas."

The Venetian Water

The Venetian lagoon and its sandbars served as the rampart of Venice against foreign invasion for a long time. The water of the Lagoon, however, became the accomplice who is threatening and breaking Venice nowadays. Giant cruise ships sail through the Lagoon and the Giudecca Canal to Piazza San Marco, and bring in crowds of tourists, turning the historic central into the ‘Disneyland on the sea’. Giant cruise ships are not only an aesthetic and historical intrusion to the city but also a disruption of the lagoon’s ecosystem. In the mean, the rising water levels due to climate change make irreparable damage to urban and cultural heritage within the city.

The Venetian Campanile

There are hundreds of campaniles in Venice. They are silent witnesses to all events and times in Venice. The towers vertically stretched the cityscape of Venice, establishing the link between the earth and sky. They are watchmen of Venice, especially the Campanile di San Marco. The campaniles provide the tourists with a privileged view of the city rooftops. However, most Venetian campaniles are not open to the general public due to their preservation. The few open campaniles are also starting to lean because of the large number of visitors.

To Response

It will be a new Monument for Venice. It will be a new Lighthouse for gondolas.

PIRACY

noun.

An architectural technique that raid archives, catalogues or historical documents to hold downloads, screenshots, sketches, etc. hostage. Architect nabs a bit of architecture (or just a colour, a reflection, an atmosphere) and then rework/replicate/abuse these hostages.

Definition of “Piracy”, Peter Wilson, 2021

To block giant cruise ships, Stopper is located in the centre of the Giudecca Canal. Due to the soft and unstable soil conditions under the Lagoon, deep mixing soil techniques and a strong concrete base are essential for the construction of the tower. The deep concrete piles are driven into the deep layers of soil (beneath caranto), and the concrete platform is built on top of the piles. The concrete platform is 2 meters above the water levels of the Lagoon to protect the tower from surges and tides.

The Stopper is the highest among the Campaniles in Venice, top of this is 207 meters. The base of the Stopper is 20 x 20 meters enclosed by a 50 cm reinforced concrete wall. The top-level is elevated in the form of a steel skeleton structure with double glazing skin. The Stopper vertically stretched Rossi’s Teatro and the architectural skin turns from solid to transparent with the levels raise. The Stopper becomes a vertical lookout where visitors experience Venice through ascension. The city rooftops are extended and collected beneath this privileged lookout. The steel frame structure and glass skin disappear on the top and the sky reveal itself. The Stopper top remains Rossi’s Teatro drum, octagonal pavilion with Aegean blue roof, merging the colour of the sky. It is the highest, poetic and historical gesture for Venice from water, earth, and sky. The Stopper is observing the city, and City is observing the Stopper as well. The visitors will observe the city of Venice from a refreshing perspective.

The Stopper has huge vertical volume and it is filled with hotel rooms within the solid concrete part as the response to the mass tourism of Venice. The red-orange hovering clusters/suites in the upper glazed part which are higher tourist gestures, distorting the colour of the sky. The Giant Cruise Ship Stopper, with J M W Turner-ish facade, turns to Hercules Hotel.

SUBLINE PIRACY IN THE SERENISSIMA

Architectural Legitimacy = Image Value
+ Use Value
+ Market Value

“Reminder from Pirate Captain Long John Cipriani”, Peter Wilson, 2021

The Old Object will never Rebirth.

It, however, will never Disappear.

What once Existed will Reappear in a New Form.

EPILOGUE

To Look Back Once More

On the second last day of Venice Studio, Peter told me a piece of bittersweet news that Italy’s Government banned large cruise ships from entering the Venetian Lagoon. It is very exciting that the Venetian Lagoon and historical centre would be preserved from the threat of large cruise ships. However, cruise ships just keep away from the historical centre and they do not disappear. Bill will be overturned and cruise ships will be back any minute. I still think the Stopper is a good gesture to block cruise ships.

It was a fantastic journey. The Giant Cruise Ship Stopper/Hercules Hotel is a poetic folly initially and will never become believable and realistic without Peter’s suggestions. I appreciated other design projects in our studio. They are very deep, poetic and refreshing, reflecting individual design philosophy. I am excited to see all design projects are erected along the Giudecca Canel, and it is a big Winter Carnival.

I hope we can meet again in Venice physically sometime in the future.

Giant Cruise Ship Stopper/Hercules Hotel Stands on the Central of the Giudecca Canel, Venice