BDES1020 Continuous City <Poppy Johnston>

Abstract

With our group assigned Venice I chose to build a gondola docking and hire station. I chose this function as I had a block with access to the canals and was not far from St Marco Square. I chose to keep the building small, catering particularly for couples and honeymooners. I incorporated a restaurant on the top floor of the building to enhance the romantic feel of the building. With the brief in place I began to develop the structure of the building. Large columns in each corner of the structure supported my initial structural model. I found that this design restricted the movement of gondolas beneath the building. By allowing the façade to cantilever out over the water in the second design the boats were able to dock and move more effectively. Slanted timber strips; inspired by the angled oars of the gondoliers; support the façade. The form of the building itself channels the shapes of the gondolas during construction. The shapes depict the curves of a boat hull, and allow in partially filtered natural light. The boats are made from several different types of timber so the building is clad with the varying types of timber. The building is also clad in glass so light can travel through the slats and into the interior. Although I was satisfied with the concepts and feel of the building, I felt that there could have been some further improvements made. Given some more time I would have repositioned the building so that it took up more horizontal space and became more involved with the surroundings.