TEATRO DEL POPOLO Reappropriating the Ruin R e be c c a Princ e Masters of Architecture 2014
`Voghemo, Che el Nostro Onor Xe Incominci dal Remo’ Row, Venetians, because our glory began with the oar.1
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INTRODUCTION p.6-7
HAULuP WORKSHOP p.12-27
PALASPORT ARSENALE p.30-83
THE MODERN RUIN p.86-113
PROGRAMME p.114-133
TEATRO DEL POPOLO p.136-197
3D FACADE p.198-219
INTEGRATED TECHNOLOGY p.220-231
LIST OF FIGURES REFERENCES BIBLIOGRAPHY
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INTRODUCTION ‘Her vocation was commerce; her countryside was the sea; her tastes were voluptuous; her function was that of a bridge between east and west; her obsession was political stability; her consolation, when she needed it, was self-indulgence; and it is remarkable how closely her talents fitted her needs.’ Morris, J. (1993) ‘Venice’, p.22 In Venice, Italy, where the past and the present are seemingly interwoven, a sense of melancholy contributes to the atmosphere. Since the fall of the Republic in 1797, she has been a port, an art centre, a sort of ‘open-air’ museum. And despite being a city without wheels, the introduction of the Causeway has lost her her independence. But despite all of this, Venice remains to be a showplace.
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HAULuP WORKSHOP Continuity in Architecture took part in the Erasmus Intensive Programme at the IUAV in Venice in September of 2013. Heritage and Architecture of Urban Landscapes Under Production (HaulUp) is a unit ran at the university by Margherita Vanore, which in September was extended into a collaborative design workshop between the IUAV, Universidad de Granada and Manchester School of Architecture to explore the “stories, tracks and forms of an old production process” of the Arsenale, situated to the North East of Venice and to propose hypothetical regeneration schemes. Not only did this opportunity allow us to collaborate with students with a different architectural ethos but also tested our ability to use design as a communicative tool when language failed us. This opportunity underpinned the importance of the Arsenale on the island of Venice, in terms of its past and its future, and in turn provided us with a in-depth analysis of this particular area, ‘living behing the wall’ in the district of Castello when moving onto our individual thesis projects.
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Arsenale, Castello
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THE ANCIENT ARSENALE The Venetian Arsenale was hugely important to the development of the city; Venice grew as the Arsenale did. There were 6 phases of construction to what exists today , spanning from the 13th to the 20th Century. The area is now mostly devoid of its original function with 42 % of the area now owned by the Venetian Military, and the remainder by the State of Venice. As such, the site has been split into a number of sectors, including cultural, naval, research and production uses. The south east of the Arsenale is dominated by the buildings used for the Biennale for 6 months of each year. The north is occupied by research companies, and the north-east by current production uses. The east of the Arsenale, the closest boundary to the city, is occupied by the military, effectively, cutting the Arsenale off from the rest of Venice. The decline in the production dominance within the Arsenale lead to the dereliction of many of the buildings. Over the last 30 years, there have been moves made to redevelop and restore buildings, introducing contemporary uses for this hugely important area of historical heritage.
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‘WATER AS A STAGE’ For each of the eleven different sites selected in the Arsenale, each group made up of one student from each university had to satisfy two given themes. The allocated themes for my team were ‘Expanses of Water’ and ‘New Urban Functions’. Initial steps were taken to trace the historical footprint of the shipyard buildings of the ancient Arsenale across the water basin on which our site sat. As a group, we thought it was important firstly to understand the previous functional aspect of our site in order to outline a suitable intervention. Drawing a grid from the historical ‘tese’, or shipyard buildings, fronting the basin, we began to define the boundaries for our scheme with a clear aim at depicting these points as a reference for visitors to understand and remember what once stood there.
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‘WATER AS A STAGE’ The main concept for the project was for the design of a water urban landscape to celebrate the memory of the Ancient Arsenale, with the ‘stage’ acting as the final spectacle for visitors of the summer Biennale. The flexible modules that make up the water landscape can also be used as a foundation for other celebrations and festivals, such as an open air cinema or pools filled in the summer providing a clean place for people to cool down, with levels dependent on the natural tide. Fixed stone beams holding L.E.D strip lighting in place may be visible in the summer but during the winter months hover under the water, like a archaeological ruin, reminiscent of the fallen shipyard buildings.
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Spatial Planning
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Seasonal Plans
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Detail Section
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Night-time Cinema Screening
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BEYOND THE WALL Having had the oppertunity to gain a deep understanding of the Arsenale in Venice and its history, our atelier Continuity in Architecture were able to step outside the wall to explore potential sites for our forthcoming thesis projects. Each site had to have a direct relationship to the ancient Arsenale wall in the district of Castello. Venice provided many sites with a rich context that allowed for the development of building proposals for a contemporary culture embedded within a dense fabric of building and memory. Following the selection of five potential project sites around the wall, the wider context of Castello was explored as a group and a document complied based on our findings, with each theme tying back to the growth of the Arsenale and the lagoon. The theme I undertook was landmark architecture and public space due to a keen interest in developing a building proposal for a public architecture with a cultural programme to suit the future development of Castello.
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SPECIAL STUDY With a keen interest in developing a proposal for a public architecture that could encourage people to gather, ideal for the site location at the heart of the Biennale, something which the area is currently lacking outside of this ticketed event, a study was carried out on Piazza San Marco - Venice’s most famous square. The study focued on the efficiency of its urban layout as a space for public gathering, as well as its success acting as a gateway, connecting different points of the city. Considered as the ‘front door’ of Venice and “super-node” of its nodal system of campi, Piazza San Marco binds equally together the governmental, religious and the mercantile concerns of the city. Since its early conception, the square has expanded over the centuries to compensate for its growing population whilst still the main thoroughfare on the idsland and truely the heart of the city.
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PIAZZA SAN MARCO The Campanile, or bell tower, adjacent to the palace and chapel, was built to provide the time of day, and as a beacon for ships at night. The Torre dell’Orologio, or clock tower, was designed in the 1480s by Mauro Codussi, providing a newly formalised visual connection from the Mercerie south to the Piazzetta to the Bacino, confirming ties between Venice and its merchants, and to the axis of power between the Piazza as the government hub of Venice and the Rialto as commercial hub. The Porta della Carta by Giovanni and Bartolomeo Ben designed in 1438 provided entry into the courtyard of the Doge’s Palace. It overcame the absence of city walls, providing a ceremonial entrance passage for the doge. The piazza was renovated in the 1540s by Jacopo Sansovino, who paved it to a greater span creating stronger vistas to connect the government and religious branches with the commerical hub of the Rialto. The Library facing the Ducal Palace and the small loggetta on the side of the Campanile balanced out the square pictorially.
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Torre dell’ Orologio Basilica San Marco
Arco Foscari
Scala dei Gignti
Porta della Carta Campanile
Palazzo Ducale Loggetta
Axes at Piazza San Marco
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SITE SELECTION Much of the immediate area surrounding the Arsenale wall is made up of residential buildings, built during the glory days of Venetian shipbuilding and the need for workers’ accomodation. However, a large proportion of the area too has been influenced by the more recent cultural programme associated with the Venice summer Biennale. The site selected for my final thesis project is highlighted on map and was chosen due to its prominent position on the edge of the lagoon, with views out to important Venetian landmarks, as well as it sitting on the entrance of the Venice Biennale. Having covered landmark architecture and public space in the group analysis, this site seemed the most appropriate to satisfy an interest in designing a space that would offer a permanent cultural programme to the area of Castello and to suppliment the more temporary nature of the arts programme of the Biennale in summer.
Site (Palasport Arsenale) Residential/Private Museum/Biennale Church
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PALASPORT ARSENALE Designed by the late architect Enrichetto Capuzzo, the Palasport “Giobatta Gianquinto� Arsenale was completed in 1977 after foundations were laid two years previously. The building was named after a native Venetian, who was a criminal lawyer, a member of the Italian Communist Party and the mayor of Venice from 1946 to 1951. The Brutalist concrete sports hall has an area of 2640m2 but is cleverly disguised among the dense Venetian context, fronting the street Calle San Biagio on one side and the canal Rio della Tana on the other. The Palasport remains to be the only indoor stadium on the island and popular with local schools.
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PALASPORT ARSENALE The building not only fronts the canal along one edge, but also has a relationship with the lagoon. The framed view of the building can be seen from the bridge on the main fondamenta, as well as glimpses from on top of the building to the island of San Giorgio Maggiore. However the building devoid of openings does not take advantage of this position, unlike other buildings with a direct relationship with the water. As the image represents, the monolithic bunker appears as an erased part of the Venetian fabric, and in stark contrast to monumental buildings of a similar scale.
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PALASPORT ARSENALE A selection of exterior photos of the sports hall show its weathered perimeter wall as an impenetrable and introvert barrier among its historic neighbours, and does not engage with the surrounding context. The beauty of the structure lies in its position among the dense fabric, where the passerby is allowed focused glimpses of different parts of the building from every direction. The monolithic form in such a historically rich context is to an extent lessened because of its curtained facade and narrow waterway, whereby the building can never be viewed in its entirety.
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PALASPORT ARSENALE Images show the main spaces inside the sports hall, including the main hall, basement hall and gymnasium.. The building is actively used for a range of sports, including basketball and boxing, and houses the Venice gymnastics association. A number of low-lit paths and stairwells lead through the activity spaces, which have been tightly packed into and under the main hall fixed seating. During the 55th Annual Art Biennale of 2013, the Cyprus and Lithuanian pavilions were located in the sports hall, and sought to emphasise the disorientating nature of the interior spaces, typical too of the narrow, winding streets of Venice. The exhibition called oO opened at Palasport in Venice in May 2013 and after its great popularity, the site is set to house future exhibitions for these countries.
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SITE HISTORY The two maps depict the scales of previous collections of buildings that existed on the site prior to 1970, however their function remains unknown. The sites close proximity to the ancient Arsenale, forgery and Corderie building, or ‘rope factory’, and noticing that a large portion of the area remained open on the waterway, it is possible the area provided access by boat. A drawing by Jacopo de’ Barbari in 1500 shows the site area as perhaps a small shipyard outlined by buildings before being confined to the Arsenale.
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1500; de’ Barbari map
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REYER VENEZIA The sports centre built in the 1970s was purpose built for the Venice Reyer basketball team, who at the time were in desperate need of a stadium on the island which would act as their home ground. The large site seemed the perfect place to build the only indoor sports hall on the island but less than 5 years after completion, a health and safety law was passed that meant the building could no longer satisfy its capacity of 2500 and the team had to move onto the mainland. At the time this caused outrageand a sense of loss felt at having to move away from their real ‘home’.
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‘La nostra alba. Nemmeno un anno è passato, ed eccolo qui. È qui il palazzo delle meraviglie, incastonato tra le calli veneziane ed attorniato dall’acqua dei canali. Il resto è storia d’oggi. Avanti Reyer!’ ‘Our sunrise. Not even a year has passed, and here it is. Here is the palace of wonders, nestled between the streets of Venice and surrounded by the water of the canals. The rest is history today. Come on Reyer!’ (Reyer Venezia, 19762)
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VENICE BIENNALE The building sits at the entrance of the Biennale site which is located within the Arsenale wall and next to the ancient Corderie building (rope factory) housinh the main exhibition. Ticket offices sit along the street to the back of the site, making it a rather congested area during the summer months of the event. During the other half of the year however, when the next exhibitions are being built, the space dramatically changes to a somewhat desserted part of Venice, aside from residents living in the area. The Palasport site therefore presents a potential for a cultural programme to supply this internationally popular event but one which annually caters to a wider audience, other than those paying to enter inside the wall.
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CONTEXT The elevation shows the main thoroughfare that leads the pedestrian to the Palasport Arsenale down Calle San Biagio. The site is surounded by residential blocks and other buildings that serve the summer Biennale exhibition.
Ancient wall
Entry to Ancient Corderie
Residential block
Biennale, Temporary exhibition space
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Residential, Temporary ticket offices
Camipello Tana
Palasport Arsenale entry
Cafe. residential block
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Residential block
CONTEXT The elevation shows the facade fronting the canal Rio della Tana. It helps to show how the building’s height corresponds to residential buildings it surrounds, as well as its close relationship to the Arsenale wall.
Calle San Biagio
Palasport Arsenale
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Palasport watergate
Rio della Tana
Residential block
Arsenale Wall; corderie
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Arsenale building
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BUILDING SURVEY In the interest of basing my thesis project on a selective reuse project, a survey of the existing building was carried out. This interestingly revealed a basement level that existed 6m below the water level, which is largely unheard of in Venice , due to the unpredictable tide and risk of flooding. Here, reinforced concrete retaining walls have been tanked and the hall above supported by a heavy concrete frame. The ceiling level plan shows the grid of 5x4m concrete coffered panels that support the roof and allow natural light to filter into the main hall. Annotated floor plans on the next few pages highlight these different spaces that form the Palasport Arsenale.
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1 Secondary hall 2 Boxing ring 3 Stores 4 Staff 5 Changing rooms 6 Stairwell
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1 Main hall 3 Stores 4 Staff 5 Changing rooms 6 Stairwell 7 Public entry 8 Reception 9 Gymnasium 10 Watergate
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3 Stores 4 Staff 11 Toilets 12 Emergency Exit
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1 Main hall 13 Public seating
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BUILDING SURVEY The roof plan shows the three different heights forming the stepped roof, which allow for glazed parts to naturally light the main hall, as well as providing access onto the roof and plant room. The building sits 1.4m above the water level and because this part of Venice rarely floods, is relatively safe from flood risk.
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STRUCTURE The exloped structural model of the existing building shows the main components that make up the sports hall, both load bearing and non-load bearing. The reinforced insitu concrete walls provide the necessary structural support for the concrete roof and coffered panels, but are hollowed out at the corners which create the curtained aesthetic, acting as service cores and eliminating the need for exposed ductwork. The basements thick retaining wall at 6 metres deep is tanked to provide the necessary waterproofing to prevent flooding. The main hall floor is supported by a concrete frame exposed in the basement, spaced in such a way that allows for the large spans required for the second hall. The upper floors are also supported by the exposed concrete columns and beams.
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Concrete roof
Concrete coffered panels
Reinforced retaining concrete walls Service cores
Concrete stair cores Concrete upper floor plates
Exposed concrete columns
Gymnasium floor plate Main hall floor plate
Exposed concrete frame
Basement partition walls
Basement retaining wall
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SITE MODEL Due to the size of the Palasport Arsenale site and because of the dense nature of Venetian buildings ranging in height and roof pitch, it was decided that the buildings were best 3d printed from a CAD software program resulting in an exact model of the surrounding area. The 1:500 scale was chosen to aid with massing models during the development stages of the building proposal.
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Model without sports hall
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BUILDING CRITIQUE Students were given an introductory exercise to propose three walls of rare beauty for our site, in response to approach, monumentality, frontality or any number of things to create three dimensional vertical elements to later define the final building volumes. Due to the nature of my thesis focusing on a selective reuse project, I began by critiquing the existing condition. The first wall that constitutes the large hall acts as the ‘head’ of the building and providing the necessary emergency escape. Consequently this creates a dead space that neither utilises the sunlight from the south nor public access from the north. There is also a missed opportunity to create garden space for surrounding residents and does not take advantage of the close proximity to the Biennale entrance. The second wall fronting the canal responds to the water with its interesting curtained facade. Providing access into the building from two points, with the main water entrance recessed into the wall for deliveries by boat. The final wall follows the main street of Calle San Biagio. The narrow passage which traps the sunlight in the afternoon connects the lagoon fondamenta with the back of the site, but which at first appears as a dead end. The many emergency exits needed for this building type creates some confusion of where the main public entrance is, which sits at the end of this sequences leading into the reception.
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Wall 1
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BUILDING CRITIQUE Having carried out the study on Piazza San Marco to understand the efficiency of its urban layout, the findings were then compared with the Palasport site, similar in its tapered form. The famous piazza, meticulously arranged along a perpendicular axes, tapers outwards towards the Basilica of San Marco and inwards again to the waterfront, encouraging the flow of movement. The Palasport site tapers outwards towards the surrounding building and back in towards an ancillary building of a residential block which was built at the same time to close off this access. If removed, it would create a direct route through to the Arsenale entrance, used for the Biennale in summer months. From the other direction, it would lead out of the Biennale and into to the site, which could create an interesting gathering space if refunctionalised.
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Piazza San Marco
Tapering site
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BUILDING CRITIQUE Comparisons were drawn also between the Palasport and the famous Ca Pesaro palazzo, or palace, both of the same scale. The facade of Ca Pesaro, which fronts the Grand Canal, successfully engages on an urban level due to the depth of the canal, providing larger vistas afforded by the open space. The low water level also gives it a greater presence and is a significant barrier aiding the palazzo’s exclusivity. Whilst the Palasport can be observed from different distances, it fronts a much narrower canal and therefore the water plays an lesser role in animating the facade. From close up, the Palasport has a dominating presence and its impenetrable wall disengaging at human level.
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Ca Pesaro
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CONTRADICTION: VENICE & RUINS In Venice, ‘the past and the present have been repeatedly smudged, so that the old often seems contemporary, and the new is quickly streaked with age.’3 (Morris, 1993) Ruins, offer comforting images of permanence whilst explicitly symbolising the inevitability of life and death.
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THESIS STUDY ‘Ruins make us think of the past that could have been and the future that never took place, tantalizing us with utopian dreams of escaping the irreversibility of time.’ 4 Boym, 2011 When built, the Palasport Arsenale stood as a monument of its time, proving the capabilities of the Modern world even in a place of such uncertainty as Venice. When the building could no longer fulfill its intended purpose as the home of the Reyer Venezia, it became simply a hall for occasional school sports. Graffiti on interior walls are a reminder of this lost past and the missing passion, which once filled the hall as Venetians cheered on their team. The following study of ruins looks to consider how the building, still relatively new but expressing effects of time and decay, can be transformed when the next layer of history is applied.
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RUINS: TRADITIONAL vs. MODERN Both the impending submergence of Venice and the aestheticisation of the city, like that of the ruin, offer images of continuity but also of uncertainty. With a strong sense of historical continuity in Venice, and with few buildings born anew, it seemed essential that the unique perimeter wall of the Palasport be maintained in some way, rather than simply demolished. Ruskin in his Lamp of Truth (1912) speaks of the ‘fortuitous beauty’ of the weed covered ruins on the same level as the stones of a sculpture. Joseph Gandy, at the instruction of its architect Sir John Soane, imagined the newly built Bank of England laid in ruin.
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Fig. X: Joseph Gandy, Bank of England, 1830
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THE FORTUITOUS RUIN ‘A piece of Palladian architecture may be elegant in the last degree. The proportion of its parts -- the propriety of its ornaments -- and the symmetry of the whole may be highly pleasing. But if we introduce it in a picture, it immediately becomes a formal object, and ceases to please. Should we wish to give it picturesque beauty, we must use the mallet instead of the chisel; we must beat down one half of it, deface the other, and throw the mutilated members around in heaps. In short, from a smooth building we must turn it into a rough ruin. No painter, who had the choice of the two objects, would hesitate a moment.’5 Giplin, 1774
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THE MODERN RUIN ‘The pace of modern time precipitates both construction and destruction, sometimes imploding temporal duration. Modern ruins are particularly poignant because they are belated and contemporary at once.’6 Boym, 2011 The more traditional obsession with ruins takes a different turn when considering ruins of Modernity. In the case of the Palasport, which was only built in the late 1970s, was erected entirely out of concrete, a material known to age rapidly, its exposed finish easily stained. By allowing this Modernist structure to ruin, the next layer of ‘palimpsest’ is applied and is aesthetically more appealing to the mind. Encyclopedia Britannica describes palimpsest as “scraped again; a term referring to any inscribed surface from which one text has been removed so that the space could be used again for another.’ (Machado, 1976, p.5) The ruined structure then seeks a new life or function given its greater cultural importance. Once the building is refunctionalised on the modern ruin, ‘a different story is born, a new plot is composed out of the old words, a new interpretation has taken place.’ (Machado, 1976, p.5)
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THE MODERN RUIN Sketches show accidental glimpses of once concealed spaces inside the Palasport, exposing hidden unknown elements. These explorations of the building as a ruin peel back the layers of time, revealing the story of its duration and decay.
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THE MODERN RUIN These sketches are inspired by Piranesi’s subterranean etchings, of heaviness and lightness. Here it is imagined that the deep basement of the building would be opened up to allow natural light to filter down into the subterranean space, possibly adopting a new function set into the void.
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SUMMARY Having studied the fortuitous beauty of ruins, it struck me that the authentic ruin is impossible in Modernist architecture because of the building materials of concrete, steel and glass that do not erode or decay in the same way as stone does. These materials in fact refuse the return of culture to nature. The modern ‘ruin’ therefore called for a more deliberate act of cutting, revealing itself at certain points and inserting new elements wherever necessary to support the new function.
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SUBTRACTION The fortuitous ruin from the intial thesis study evolved into focusing on the concept of a selective reuse of the existing and in turn a much more controlled process of subtraction, with parts removed intentionally to compliment a new function. In this instant, the perimeter wall was considered the most important and so initial sketches show interventions located inside the perimeter wall with a public courtyard.
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Interior hall with new interventions
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SUBTRACTION Maquette models were made to help explore different ways of subtracting parts of the existing wall. They were formed by layering up the plan of the perimeter wall and then parts cut and inserted with different interventions inside the wall. Having tested a number of interventions around the perimeter wall, the concept settled on a lone insertion in the middle of the playing field and freing up the existing wall as the point of circultion betwen the new and old. The singular sculptural form occupying the void and sitting above the ruined walls was inspired by the work of Indian sculptor Anish Kapoor. An example being the Taratantara installation (1999) in the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art, Gateshead.
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PRECEDENT STUDY Moneo’s National Museum of Roman Art was studied for its successful manipulation of an existing structure to create a more powerful spatial articulation and scale adjustment of an entire city block. The new design sees the contrasting of orthogonal and rhythmically punctuated geometries of two spatial components of the crypt - the roman remains and the new building’s arched structure - creating a dynamic space where two different time-periods establish an architectural dialogue. The main route through the building forms a sky-lit longitudinal ‘nave’ or covered street, whereby the central axis acts as an ‘organisational spine’ supporting secondary spaces. The Palasport building has no through circulation and does not take advantage of its position next to the Biennale site. A similar concept to Moneo’s museum circulation was tested, with an axial spine of circulation connecting the different progranmes and visually reconnecting the site through a new Biennale gateway.
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ADJUSTING THE AXES Sketches show initial ideas in response to the restrictive spatial arrangement and limited public access of the existing sports hall. By maintaining the characteristic perimeter wall and water entrance, functional spaces behind the wall will be set back to allow the gaze of the onlooker to pass through with fragmented glimpses of the new activity inside. The area around the inside of the wall would be kept open for circulation and the new activity located at the heart of the building occupying the playing field.
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PROGRAMME Due to the close proximity of the site to the Arsenale, a closer analyse of the different functions of the Ancient shipyards since their renovation revealed a number of areas dedicated to a specific theme. As the diagram shows, the north east end is dominated by production, the north west research and science, the west marina/Navy and finally, the south east for culture, mainly as one major site of the Art and Architectural Biennale site (the other being the Giardini to the south of Castello). The Venice Biennale takes place during the warmer months (6 months for the Art Biennale in odd years and 3 months for the Architecture Biennale for even years), however during the change over months when the next Biennale is being prepared, the sites in the Arsenale remain relatively empty and this part of Castello relatively uninhabited aside from locals. These factors led to an interest in a programme that would act as a permanent addition to the cultural agenda of Castello. Outside the Arsenale wall, the programme would act as an extension of this exhibition in summer but removes the need to purchase a ticket for entry, attracting both locals and tourists all year round. The fact that the Palasport recently became the shared pavilion of Lithuania and Cyprus gives the new function a richer programme, with the possibility of combining a number of different cultural events under one roof.
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Arsenale Programme
Sites during Biennale
Marina pole Research pole Production pole Culture/Exposition pole
Castello district
Site
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VENETIAN THEATRE When researching the potential for a new theatre on the site, a study of existing theatres in Venice was carried out. A total of just eight theatres remain in Venice. Out of these eight, the oldest theatres retain their proscenium-arch design, which has been the most common type in the West since the Italian Renaissance. It allows for hidden panels used by actors and technicians, and the audience sits on one side. In Venice, Teatro Goldoni, built in 1622 has a capacity of 800, and Teatro la Fenice, Venice’s leading opera house, built in 1792, a capacity of 1000, both adopt this type of stage. The main disadvantage of the proscenium is poor visibility and hearing for those at the back of the room. Teatro Fondamenta Nuove, built in 1998 is a very modest performance space used for music and cultural events with a capacity of 120 and Teatro San Gallo is a multi-use space with a capacity of 260 in the main theatre. Both of these spaces opt
for diverse programmes aside from the theatre function in order to maintain popularity all year round. Other functioning theatre spaces in Venice include the Teatro a l’Avogaria, founded in 1969, witha capacity of less than 100, the smallest in Venice, and Teatro Junghans on the Giudecca built in 2005, a capacity of 150. This theatre was reopened after 5 years of renovation and specialises in the improvised theatre of commedia dell’arte made popular in Italy during the 1560s. Teatro Verde is an amphitheatre set in the park on the island of San Giorgio with a generous capacity of 1618. Unfortunately, due to it being an open-air theatre, it remains largely unused, bar the odd screening. The final theatre is a contemporary addition to Castello, which sought the renovation of a building in the Arsenale, named Teatro Arsenale (2000). This multi-use venue has a capacity of 250 with no permanent seating to free up the space for use in the Biennale.
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Teatro Fondamenta Nuove
Teatro Goldoni Teatro San Gallo Teatro la Fenice
Teatro a l’Avogaria
Teatro Verde Teatro Junghans
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GUTHRIE & THE STAGE Having analysed the different functioning theatres in Venice, it is apparent that most only hold a small capacity with a layout that locates the audience behind the stage at the same level, which, during certain performances, could result in poor sight and hearing for those at the furthest point from the stage. Analysing theatre precedents introduced the thrust stage as the most efficient in terms of equality for all spectators wherever they were sat in the auditorium. Tyrone Guthrie (1900-1971), the English theatrical director, as another important figure in the reforming of traditional theatre experience. He inspired the designs of epic thrust stages all over the world, rediscovering the immediacy of Shakespearean plays and forsaking illusion to allow audiences to relate to the ritual of real performances. Guthrie believed that Modernist theatres, opting for the proscenium-arch, influenced by cinema, were drained of theatricality and his thrust stages boasted of over 1000 spectators through 220 degrees.
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‘Each member of the audience sees audience beyond the actor and hence is constantly reminded that theatre is not an illusion but an occasion where the actor works on the imaginary forces of the audience.’7 Mackintosh, 2011
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PRECEDENT STUDY A theatre that adopts a thrust stage was analysed to gain an understanding of the programmatic requirements for such a function. The RSC Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon, Shakespeares birthplace, redeveloped its Shakespeare and Swan theatres, opening in 2010 after a long process of discussions and proposals. The final scheme was designed by Bennetts’ Associates and theatre consultants Charcoalblue, with a clear intention of designing a stage which would have been recognised by Shakespeare himself. The multi levels added to the Guthrie thrust in the RSC increases the verticality and brought the audience even closer to the stage, for a more intimate experience. Whilst the theatre seeks to maximise capacity and maintain intimacy, some believe that the 1030 seat Shakespeare theatre is only intimate considering its capacity. Nevertheless, the distance from the furthest seat has been reduced from 27m to 15m and the thrust stage is the largest of its kind, receiving praise worldwide. Its 15m fly zone above the stage and 7m basement below allows for a wide range of possibilities for different scenic effects.
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Cafe Wings
Stage door
Shakespeare Theatre Foyer
Stage
Wings
Swan Theatre
Service lift
WCs Colonnade/Foyer
Fig.28: RSC Ground Floor Plan
Fly Tower
1m
Fig.29: RSC Section
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5m
10m
SCHEDULE OF ACCOMODATION The following diagrams shows the programmatic organisation of the theatre and exhibition in relationship to the formal organisation of the existing and the insertion. The plan is divided approximately into quarters, the first for the front of house spaces, second for seating and lobbies, third for stage and fly tower, and fourth for back of house with exhibiton spine. Spaces have been approximated based on the RSC as discussed previously, but also the Everyman Theatre, Liverpool with a similar capacity of 400. The public and actor entrances are kept separate, both from land and water, creating a desirable south-facing public entrance, acting as the first threshold beyond the perimeter wall, before entry into the auditorium. The stage door located to the north of Calle San Biagio allows for actors to have a direct path into the back of house spaces including the dressing rooms, rehearsal space and green room, with the creation of a smoking terrace space facing onto a new campiello.
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Foyer/Exhibition Staff/Store Public Toilets Understage Service Lift Risers Private circulation
N
Schedule of Accomodation Basement -2
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Foyer/Public Staff/Store Understage/lifts Service Lift Risers Private circulation
N Schedule of Accomodation Basement -1
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Foyer/public Box office/staff Public Toilets Stage/seating Service Lift Risers Private circulation Concessions/bar Exhibition
Schedule of Accomodation Ground Floor
Workshop
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Foyer/public Staff Public Toilets Stage/seating Service Lift Risers Private circulation Concessions/bar
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Dressing
Schedule of Accomodation First Floor
Clothes workshop
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Foyer/public Staff Stage/seating Service Lift Risers Private circulation Dressing
Schedule of Accomodation Second Floor
Rehersal
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Foyer/public Store/Plant Public Toilets Fly tower Service Lift Risers
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Private circulation
Schedule of Accomodation Third Floor
Bar/Restaurant
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Foyer/public Store/Plant Public Toilets Fly tower Service Lift Risers Private circulation
Schedule of Accomodation Fourth Floor
Restaurant/Kitchen
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Plant/Plenum Fly tower Service Lift Risers Private circulation
Schedule of Accomodation Plenum level
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TEATRO DEL POPOLO Reappropriating the Ruin
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Piazza San Marco
Punta della Dogana
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Location Plan
showing the new beacon in relation to historic landmarks
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Teatro del Popolo
San Giorgio Maggiore
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TEATRO DEL POPOLO ‘The past provides the already written, the marked ‘canvas’ on which each successive remodelling will find its own place.’8 Machado, R. (1976), Old Buildings as Palimpsest
The project proposes the insertion of a new building for performance and art in the district of Castello in Venice. Set back from the lagoon with views out to the island of San Giorgio Maggiore, the site is currently occupied by a 1970s Brutalist sports hall, the ‘Palasport Arsenale’. The project looks to exploit the existing condition of the introvert concrete perimeter wall and through reprogramming, allowing the public realm to penetrate, creating a place to gather. The desire is that the new programme will project the existing as a permanent cultural focal point for the area, which it is currently lacking due to the temporary nature of Venice’s summer Biennale.
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Roof Plan
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RUIN CONCEPT The initial concept for the project came from the idea of the existing building as a ruin for a renewed cultural importance, which was lost after the building could no longer fulfil its original function. The fortuitous ruin evolved into a controlled process of subtraction, where parts of the existing sports hall were removed or left to ruin. A fragile glass form sits above a solid foundation, peering over the protective perimeter wall. Aesthetic choices look to coincide with the stained concrete to turn it into a spectacle. A ceramic fritted glass patterned facade filters views in and out hinting at the activity inside. This ‘curtain concept’ blurs the distinction between public and actor areas, taking a step away from the traditional theatre function. Whilst the new visually dominates the old, it is too fragile to exist without it.
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POWDER PRINTING Having gone through the process of subtracting and maintaining parts through reprogramming of the existing perimeter wall, the cut walls were 3D printed out of powder as a visual aid for when it came to understanding how the new would rest on the old. The images show the extracton process of the fragile powder model and how the existing parts to be maintained look in their raw state before the new function takes its own place above.
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NEW & OLD The initial concept sought to create a cap or a roof over the ruined landscape with the intention of a new programme to give the existing a renewed cultural importance. The exploded diagram shows the existing building with areas highlighted in red showing which elements are to be maintained and enhanced within the theatre programme. The grey area mainly shows the perimeter wall to be lowered from 18m to 13m to suit its neighbouring historic context and to allow the new to peer above. The ruined back wall opens up the new main public entry from Calle San Biagio street and creates a new punctured facade to the north of the site facing a new public plaza. The theatre function will occupy the existing sports field to utilise the existing seating.
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Theatre insertion
Existing seating and perimeter wall
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CONCEPT The site diagrams show how the new programme aims to open up the existing landscape to a new cultural spine along the waters edge, connecting the auditorium, social spaces and the pavilion with the creation of a new public plaza at the north end and on the door step of the Venice Biennale. The insertion allows for the opening up of vistas visually connecting currently narrow and restrictive spaces with the intention of offering a permanent space for residents and visitors to relax or to enjoy a spectacle.
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N
153
N
South East Elevation
showing glazed auditorium above existing wall
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N
South Elevation
showing new entrance through ruined wall
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MAIN ENTRY | Calle San Biagio
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6
16
15
6
Plenum Level (-1)
showing air supply plenum and floor lifts
1 - Public Stair/Lift 2 - Lower pavilion reception 3 - Existing stair ruin seating 4 - Substage 5 - Stage lift/Trap room 6 - Private stair core 7 - Store 8 - Exhibition passage 9 - Exhibition 10 - Service lift 11 - Female toilets 12- Male toilets 13 - Disabled toilet 14 - Existing basement stair 15 - Floor lifts 16 - Mechanical/Air supply plenum
N
Basement Floor Plan (-2)
showing substage and extended exhibition space with associated storage
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6 7
10
9
14
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13
6
9
12 10 9
7
1
5 6
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4 1 3
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0
161
5
10
20
30m
1 - Main entrance foyer 2 - Box Office 3 - Public Stair/Lift 4 - Office 5 - Cloakroom 6 - Disabled Toilet 7 - Female Toilets 8 - Male Toilets 9 - Cafe/Concessions 10 - Kitchen 11 - Service lift 12 - Service stair core 13 - Light lock 14 - Auditorium 15 - Stage 16 - Back stage/wings 17 - Street Foyer 18 - Ruin seating/Performance space 19 - Seating 20 - Public water gate 21 - Deliveries/Loading dock 22 - Services lift 23 - Pavilion spine 24 - Exhibition space 25 - Pavilion reception 26 - Existing basement stair 27 - Public space/Arsenale Corridor 28 - Actors corridor 29- Private stair core 30 - Private toilets 31 - Workshop lift 32- Staff Room 33 - Offices 34 - Meeting room 35 - Workshop 36 - Mechanical 37 - Stage Door
N
Ground Floor Plan
showing the theatre and pavilion with associated back of house spaces
162
37
36 35 26
34 32
27
33 31
18 17
30
25
29
26
28 24
22 23
19
21
16 20 15
13
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14
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10
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2 1
11 9
13 5
7 6
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0
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5
10
20
30m
BOX OFFICE
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1 - Bar 2 -Upper foyer 3 - Public Stair/Lift 4 - Lobby/Light lock 5 - Auditorium 6 - Male Toilets 7 - Female Toilets 8 - Service lift 9 - Service stair core 10 - Air duct 11 - Private stair core 12 - Dressing rooms (6) 13 - Male toilets/showers 14 - Female toilets/showers 15 - Laundry 16 - Wardrobe store 17 - Costume workshop
N
First Floor Plan
showing upper auditorium level
166
17 12
16
11
15 14 13
10
4
9 8
5 3
7
1
4 3
6
0
167
5
10
20
30m
Exploded diagram showing wrapped stair bridging the new and the old
STREET FOYER | ‘Open performance’ & Journey up
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1 - Dimmer 2 - Control room 3 - Public Stair/Lift 4 - Staff toilets 5 - Server room 6 - Air Duct 7 - Private stair core 8 - Writers room 9 - Male changing 10 - Female changing 11 - Main dressing room (x18) 12 - Rehersal space 13 - Service lift 14 - Dressing room x2) 15 - Private dressing room 16 - Green room 17 - Kitchen 18 - Smoking terrace 19 - Meeting room 20 - Office
N
Second Floor Plan
showing retractable seating level with associated back of house spaces
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20
7
19
18 17 16
15 15
14
8
14
7 10
3
13
11
9
12
7 6 3
1
5
2 4
0
171
5
10
20
30m
1 - Wine Bar 2 - Bar 3 - Public Stair/Lift 4 - Kitchen 5 - Wine store 6 - Technical corridor 7 - Technicla gallery 8 - Male Toilets 9 - Disabled toilet 10 - Female toilets 11 - Service lift 12 - Service stair core 13 - Fly tower 14 - Air duct 15 - Plant room 16 - Roof level 17 - Rehersal technical grid 18 - Store
N
Third Floor Plan
showing top bar and auditorium technical gallery
172
16
12
15
14
18
13
17
7 12 11 3
4 2 1
6 5
8
9
10
0
173
5
10
20
30m
1 - Restaurant 2 - Bar 3 - Public Stair/Lift 4 - Kitchen 5 - Fridges 6 - Technical Grid 7 - Extract Plenum 8 - Male toilets 9 - Female toilets 10 - Disabled toilet 11 - Staff room/toilet 12 - Service lift 13 - Service stair core 14 - Fly tower 15 - Store 16 - Air duct
N
Fourth Floor Plan
showing top restaurant and auditorium technical grid
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16 14
15
7
13
6
3
12
5 2 1
11
9 4
8
10
0
175
5
10
20
30m
1 - Extract Plenum 2 - Plant 3 - Service lift 4 - Private stair core
N
Plenum Level Floor Plan showing plant room
176
2
1
4 3
0
177
5
10
20
30m
N
Section
showing auditorium and exhibition spine
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179
180
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THEATRE | Thrust Stage
THEATRE INHABITATION The main auditorium provides seating for 250 but which can be extended to a capacity of approximately 150 extra seats due to the retractable seating towers and floor lifts which hydraulically alter the configuration depending on the type of performance desired. The flexibility of the new programme was a key driver in the design of the auditorium and pavilion to utilise its location at the heart of Venice’s Biennale arts programme in Castello. OMA’s revolutionary theatre concept for the Dee & Charles Wyly Theatre / REX in Dallas was explored to understand the possibilities of different theatre configurations as opposed to the more limited proscenium arch mostly adopted in the city. This concept was possible to implement on such a building resuse project because of the 6m deep existing basement which currently is used as a secondary sports hall, and which sits below the theatre space in the new design occupying the main sports court and seating.
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Section showing flexible configuration
Thrust; 250
Fig.30-32: Wyly Theatre
Proscenium; 400
Thrust; 350
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In The Round; 400
PRECEDENT STUDY The RSC seemed an appropriate precedent to study both for its structural strategy as well as its functional requirements as a thrust stage theatre. The Shakespeare Theatre implements a steel frame and concrete retaining walls for the auditorium. Different to the smaller timber Swan theatre, the Shakespeare theatre opts for a “scaffold� of exposed architectural steelwork columns and beams to support faceted balconies of seating around the auditorium. Above this are two further steel structures unseen by the audience: three levels of lightweight technical bridges suspended from giant roof trusses spanning n over the fly tower and resting on the concrete frame of the building (BDOnline, 2011). The emphasis was on as lightweight a steel construction as possible in order to minimise the load and piling requirements, especially in a difficult waterside location, which may be most suitable also for the theatre in Venice where the land is known to be unstable. The roof trusses are 24m long steel trusses criss-crossed on top of the space resting on the concrete walls, which form the sides of the auditorium. The trusses are 3.4m deep to allow for technicians to walk through them. Although the auditorium has been designed as a permanent structure, the steel structure could be dismantled to allow the whole space to be reconfigured.
1
2
10
3
4
11
Fig.33 Cutaway Section of RSC Shakespeare Theatre
5
6
7
8
9
1
New foyer canopy roof
2
Auditorium air handling units
3
Suspended technical lighting level
4
Removable auditorium balcony levels
5
New thrust stage basement
6
Primary roof trusses
7
Stage and fly tower
8
Basement plant rooms
9
Swan Theatre
10
Auditorium balcony structure
CONSTRUCTION The insertion of the theatre space adopts a steel frame structure to achieve the angled form, with an independent concrete box for the auditorium to achieve the necessary acoustic insulation. The roof of the auditorium is concrete on a metal deck supported by the belt trusses, which allows for staff to access this space for maintenance. The existing concrete perimeter wall is supported by new steel columns to support the new roof and the existing concrete column and beam grid is maintained and extended to support the back of house spaces within the existing footprint.
186
Steel frame theatre
Concrete auditorium
Steel columns supporting new roof (203x133x25 UC)
Existing reinforced concrete perimeter wall
Existing basement: concrete box with concrete frame supporting hall floor
Exploded structural diagram
187
CONSTRUCTION Whilst steel contributes highly to the CO2 emissions of the construction industry, with an embodied energy of 20.1Mj/kg, it can still be considered a sustainable method of construction. Its high strengthto-weight ratio makes it an efficient building material, with greater design flexibility, making it the most appropriate for the primary structure of the angled theatre. Intumescent fire protective coatings, waterproofing and insulation are applied to provide the necessary protection from fire, moisture and cooler temperatures. During construction, steel frames can be rapidly installed making it more cost effective with reduced time on site and removes the need for large storage areas on site as the steels are delivered only when required. Its long life span and adaptability means waste is kept to a minimum and can be adapted if required in the future. The poor thermal and acoustic performance of steel however meant a different material was necessary for the auditorium. Whilst concrete has a high embodied energy of 1.9Mj/kg, its credentials make it the most attractive choice for the theatre walls for its acoustic and thermal performance, and projection from flooding. A cavity wall is also more economical than a solid wall with 20% less construction, as well as decreasing heat transmission, making it easier to maintain an equal temperature inside the auditorium.
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Steel frame with bracing to support the angled form. 50mm 150mm cavity concrete blockwork
Belt truss supporting the 150mm concrete roof on a metal deck
250mm concrete wall
Concrete theatre box
Theatre block: Two independent structures
189
AIR EXTRACTION The auditorium employs an underfloor air distribution system to control temperatures and heat recovery system to mechanically reclaim and recycle wasted heat. Air enters from grills in the seating racks quietly providing the required amount of air for each seat. As the air heats, it rises out the top, helped on by the heat from the lighting. The air handling plant sits above the auditorium which means only one vertical riser is needed for air inlet and outlet. Due to the flexible nature of the theatre space, allowing for the different configurations, the moveable seating components are fitted with flexible MEP/FP systems which move with the stage and seatin, as adopted by the Dee & Charles Wyly Theatre by OMA. Whilst the concrete floor and walls are sound reflecting, timber acoustic baffles can also flown from the technical grid to reflect sound further.
Fig.35
190
Air outlet
Acoustic exhaust plenum
Air further warmed by lighting
Incoming air warmed by occupants
Auditorium Air Extraction
191
Air duct taking down cool air
EXHIBITION | Public Water Entrance
192
LIGHTING
FORM & ORIENTATION Whilst the project looks at inserting a theatre into an existing footprint, spaces have been located to benefit from generous natural daylighting levels. This includes back of houses areas and the highly controlled exhibition spaces, as shown in the previous image, located on the north side to benefit from indirect north light supplied by the coffered skylights (see diagram on next page). Public social spaces are located on the southern side, with direct sun able to be controlled by the fritted ceramic facade in summer months. This optimal use of natural light is achieved by designing spaces based on the passive zone of 7m (see next page) and minimises the requirement for electrical lighting, although this is necessary in the auditorium and ancillary spaces such as toilets and basement. The need for controlled theatre lighting, with the necessary lighting, audio and machinery power cables, are distributed at high level and within the floor to meet the technical needs of the wide range of stage productions to suit the flexibile programme, without becoming visually intrusive.
Coffered skylight section (next page)
Long section
W
E
Sun Path
Restaurant Bar
Lighting rig
Sawtooth rooflights Dressing rooms Costume workshop
Reception
Long section showing natural daylighting
Foyer
Exhibition
LIGHTING
PASSIVE ZONE Whilst the back of house spaces occupy the footprint of the existing building, the main spaces used by, say actors, have been designed to utilise the passive zone of 7m to benefit from natural daylighting, fronting the north elevation, as well as manually operable natural ventilation. The coffered skylights used to bring light into the deep plan of house/pavilion plan are used extensively in Nottingham Contemporary Art Gallery by Caruso St. John. The glazing incorporates a diffusing laminate to prevent sun patching within the galleries. A system of manually deployed blackout covers are provided so that reduced light levels can be created, clipped into place externally to cover the roof lights when required. Roof lights over the full height foyers are angled towards the north to benefit from indirect north light and main dressing room benefits from the same via the sawtooth roof lights.
Fig.35: Nottingham Contemporary
Workshop
Void
Offices
Green room
Dressing Pavilion
Dressing
Void Rehersal
Passive Zone Ground Floor
Second Floor
Actors terrace Green room Performance foyer Scenery workshop
3D section showing void with coffered skylight
North East Elevation N
showing facade fronting the public plaza to the Arsenale
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3D FACADE STUDY Embellishing Utility
201
ORNAMENT A side project on the contentious and provocative subject of ornament asked us to choose a place of transition on the facade of the building where a motif was to be developed; the embellishing of utility. Following this, material selection and transformation for the component had to be decided upon and then accurately drawn up. Finally, a physical model of three components of the ornament were to be made at a detail scale as close to the real material. Having studied the existing building and looking at ways of cutting the concrete, it seemed appropriate to take part of the retained perimeter wall and to design ornament for part of the building that would puncture in the structure and have the function of attracting people to the building once reformulated. Although it was later decided to remove the wall which would incorporate this punctured panel, it was interesting to investigate the possibilities of cutting concrete. The motif developed was inspired by Venetian theatre and the harlequin character of the commedia dell’arte.
202
Fig.36
Fig.37
203
ORNAMENT Having chosen part of the existing wall which peers over a neighbouring residential block, the utility which the ornament has to have was explored with the intention of attracting visitors to the building with its new theatre function. The ‘light-box’ concept was tested in the initial ornament project but which later developed when the inserted theatre block was design and reapplied as a patterned facade to filter views in and out.
204
Light-box elevation
205
Existing reinforced concrete wall
Steel I-beam
Opaque transparent glass
New concrete punctured panel
Plan of light-box detail
206
Existing reinforced concrete shaft
Opaque transparent glass
New precast punctured concrete panel
Steel I-beam
Light fixture under removable grating
Sectional detail of light-box in concrete shaft
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210
3D FACADE The 3D study looked at exploring the glazed theatre block inserted within the existing concrete perimeter wall, to understand further the concept of the relationship between the pure, lightweight form hovering over a stained, dense landscape. Coinciding with the theatre programme, the facade looks at blurring the distinction between public areas and the traditional view of the theatre, whilst allowing the Venetian backdrop to become part of the fantasy. The primary steel structure allows for the lightweight aesthetic to be achieved whilst providing the necessary structural support for the angled shape and extra support to the existing concrete form. The concept for the patterned glass facade was initially inspired by a Venetian custom whereby national monuments such as the Basilica San Marco were built with standard materials and then ornamented both internally with rich golds and externally to achieve their grandeur. The pattern for the fritted glass was adopted from the previous ornament project adapted from the theatrical Harlequin motif to achieve a design with greater depth. A precedent which was analysed during this study was the Kulturbau scheme by Benthem Crouwel Architects.
N
3D Special Emphasis Study
showing southern public foyers spaces
Fig.38
212
Theatre Wine Bar & Restaurant
Glazed facade with fritted pattern
Existing perimeter wall
Internal public foyer/box office
New pile foundations
Existing pile foundations
213
1500x3700mm fritted glass panels
1 - Tempered glass 2 - Adaptive fritted ceramic module 3- Aluminium frame 4 - Tempered glass 5 - Glazed roof panels on aluminium frame 6 - Insulative and vapour layer 7 - Primary structure; steel UB406 8 - Suspended ceiling hiding mechanical 9 - Concrete floor on steel deck with underfloor heating system 10 - Mezzanine floor, as above
Exploded Glazed Facade showing component build up
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2
3
4 5
6 7
8
9
10
215
1 - angled glazed wall: U-section glass elements, low iron, 10mm toughened glass + 15mm cavity + 2x6mm toughened laminated safety glass with fritted ceramic pattern 2 - secondary structure: 80/80/4mm galvanised steel SHS post; steel sheet fixings bent to shape, galvanised 25mm hat channel 2x13mm plasterboard 100mm mineral wool on sound-absorbing plaster vapour retarding layer 50mm cavity 3 primary structure: Steel column IPE 406 with spray-applied fireproofing 40mm mineral wool on 12.5mm plasterboard; 12.5mm plywood; 12.5mm plasterboard painted 4 mezzanine: glazed balustrade with aluminium frame, on 50mm timber screed with 75mm screed around underfloor heating on 150mm reinforced concrete on trapezoidal-section steel deck 75mm deep Steel I-beam IPE 203 suspended ceiling: 3mm spray-applied acoustic plaster, 12.5mm plasterboard, 35mm steel-section supporting structure 5 existing exterior wall: 450mm cast-in place concrete, reinforced with added 100mm thermal insulation, vapour retarding layer, 150mm exposed boardmarked concrete with polished finish with double glazing: 10mm toughened galss + 15mm cavity + lam. safety glass (2x6mm) with supporting aluminium frame
1:40 Detail
showing connection between new & old
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1
4
2
2
1:20 Connection detail
5
217
1
2 1:10 Corner detail
3
1:20 Floor detail
1:40 Detail
showing patterned glazed restaurant filtering views ino and out
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1 - roof structure: secondary: 80/80/4mm galvanised steel SHS post, steel sheet fixings bent to shape, galvanised + 25mm hat channel + 2x13mm plasterboard + 100mm mineral wool on sound-absorbing plaster vapour retarding layer with 50mm cavity 2 - glazed wall construction U-section glass elements, low iron, 10mm toughened glass + 15mm cavity + 2x6mm toughened laminated safety glass with fritted ceramic pattern with 50/100mm aluminium supporting frame, clear anodised primary structure: Steel column IPE 406 with spray-applied fireproofing 40mm mineral wool on 12.5mm plasterboard; 12.5mm plywood; 12.5mm plasterboard painted + suspended ceiling, geometric plasterboard panels with 35mm steel-section supporting structure 3 floor construction: LED floor luminaire 50mm timber screed with 75mm screed around under-floor heating + 150mm reinforced concrete on trapezoidalsection steel deck 75mm deep Steel I-beam IPE 203 suspended ceiling +suspended ceiling as above
219
Early concept sketch
Restaurant view out to San Giorgio Maggiore
TECHNOLOGY
with Services Integration
FLOOD RISK & DRAINAGE It is important to consider the nature of Venice as a city prone to flooding with the normal hide tide in the lagoon around +80cm. Aqua alta or high tide is declared when the water level reaches 110cm. As the map shows, the disctrict of the site where the building sits in at 140cm above the water level and consequently rarely floods. To take the necessary precautions for flooding in the future, if we are to assume it could increase, the site has been raised by a further 1m to the level of the existing sports field, so effectively maintaining the ground plane of the existing building. As the diagram shows, the series of pitched roofs over the existing perimeter wall and auditorium channel the water into the rainwater pipes which occupy the existing hollow structure with outlets at the top and bottom to direct the water into the canal. On land side, the same rainwater pipes exist, channeling the water into the existing drainage system.
Flood zones in Castello 140cm above water 120cm above water
Rainwater pipes and outlets
Pitched roofs
ACCESS & CIRCULATION Access to & use of building (Approved Document M) Whilst regulations concerning the access to and use of buildings by disabled users in Venice is less stringent, the theatre complies with UK regulations of accessible entrances, lifts, toilets and stairways for ease of use. Both public entrances are equipped with ramped access which abide by the 1:12 maximum gradient, stairwells with a maximum riser of 180mm and a public lift 1.6m wide. Fire Safety (Approved Document B) Purpose Group 5 - Recreational Premises Due to the nature of the site with one side fronting a waterway, this must be taken into account when designing escape routes. The waters edge must be discounted as a means of escape. Areas with seating in rows, such as is the case for the auditorium, the maximum travel distance is 15m or 32m in either one or more directions, respectively. Elsewhere in the premises, the maximum distances can increase to 18m and 45m, respectively. All fire exits have a width of 1800mm to account for the capacity of up to 350 people.
Fire protected stairwell
Fire protected service lift
Existing basement stairwell Actor/staff entry: fire protected lift and stairwell
Main public stair and fire protected lift
ACCESS & CIRCULATION Fire Safety (Approved Document B) Purpose Group 5 - Recreational Premises Due to the nature of the site with one side fronting a waterway, this must be taken into account when designing escape routes. The waters edge must be discounted as a means of escape. Areas with seating in rows, such as is the case for the auditorium, the maximum travel distance is 15m or 32m in either one or more directions, respectively. Elsewhere in the premises, the maximum distances can increase to 18m and 45m, respectively. All fire exits have a width of 1800mm to account for the capacity of up to 350 people.
N
Means of Escape
showing on ground floor plan
Stage door:Protected fire escape stair Fire protected service lift 31m
Back public entry Protected fire escape stair
44m 10m 14m
Fire protected public lift
14m 14m
Main public entry
38m
Fire protected service lift
Protected fire escape stair
Fire protected service lift
Fire exit
FIRE SAFETY Fire Safety (Approved Document B) Purpose Group 5 - Recreational Premises The existing basement level does not currently have an enclosed fire stair, so the new design includes the two stair cores down to this level acting as a protected fire escape for use of both the public for the exhibition space and staff for the stores/mechanical. Whilst the upper floors in the public bar/restaurant does not have an enclosed fire stair, the maximum travel distance from the top level at 17m above ground complies with the regulations being under 45m. The highlighted stair which provides direct access to the public from the main entrance to the bar level would be better suited to being enclosed to allow for a protected public stair to exist in case of a fire.
N
Means of Escape
showing upper level plans
Open public stair core
Protected fire escape stair
15m
17m
24m
20m
First Floor
Basement (-2)
Open public stair 27m
Protected fire escape stair 32m
Third Floor
34m
Fourth floor
HEATING & COOLING The heating and cooling strategy varies in the building according to the requirements of the different spaces. Both the theatre and the back of house/pavilion areas have their own plant rooms to supply the different areas with mechanical heating and cooling. The underfloor heating system shown in the detail above is taken from the public restaurant area, but which is also adopted in the foyer spaces, back of house areas, such as for the dressing rooms and green room, as well as for the exhibition spaces, which is highly controlled. The double height restaurant and bar, as well as the workshop and exhibition areas, highly controlled in terms of heating, cooling and ventilation, each have a suspended ceiling to conceal the necessary ducting, whilst being insulated to prevent noise pollution. The air handling units supplying the spaces are centrally controlled from the BMS operator in the plant room on the roof. Public spaces on the south side can benefit from some natural ventilation via the open-able vents in the glazed facade, however the suspended ceiling allows for the concealing of mechanical ventilation ducts to provide the necessary ventilation. Back of house spaces located on the north end too have openable windows.
Theatre
Back of house/Pavilion
Horizontal runs supplying underfloor heating in public spaces 1:20 Detail showing underfloor heating system on concrete metal deck
Kitchen riser Soil stack Theatre plant room Air handling/ Extract Plenum
Air ducts
Back of house plant room Soil stack Exhibition riser
Scenery workshop riser
LIST
OF
FIGURES
1 Panthers (1976) ‘Our History’, Available at: < http://www. panthersreyer.it/> (Accessed on 15 October 2013)
27 Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis (n.d) Available at: < http://www. geneseo.edu/~blood/Spaces3.html>
2 JACOPO DE BARBARI MAP (1500), Available at: < http://www. venicethefuture.com/schede/uk/033?aliusid=033> (Accessed on 15 September 2013)
28 RSC Floor Plan (2014) Available at: < http://www.rsc.org.uk/aboutus/press/architects-gallery.aspx>
3 L’ “Arsenale” Esplode (1980) Available at: < https://storify.com/ enver/reyer-e-un-palindromo-come-oro> 4 Reyer Venezia (1980) Gli Anni del Basket Boom, Available at: < http://www.reyer.it/storia/>
29 RSC Section (2014) Available at: < http://www.rsc.org.uk/about-us/ press/architects-gallery.aspx> 30 Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre (2010) Available at: < http://arch-rereview.blogspot.co.uk/2010/09/by-david-dillon-with-its-rippling.html>
5 Panthers (1976) ‘Our History’, Available at: < http://www. panthersreyer.it/> (Accessed on 15 October 2013)
31 Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre (2010) Available at: < https:// archrecord.construction.com/subscription/LoginSubscribe.asp?cid=/projects/ portfolio/archives/1002wyly/5.asp>
6 Tarantantara (1999) Anish Kapoor, Available at: < https://www. balticmill.com/whats-on/exhibitions/detail/anish-kapoor>
32 Wyly Theatre (2010) Available at: < http://artsblog.dallasnews.com/ tag/wyly-theatre/page/3/>
7 National Museum of Roman Art (2012) Rafael Moneo, Available at: < http://www.docstoc.com/docs/134430401/Plans_-Sections-and-Elevations--National-Museum-of-Roman-Art---Rafael-Moneopdf>
33 Steel structure at the heart of Bennetts’ Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford (2011) Available at: < http://www.bdonline.co.uk/steel-structure-at-theheart-of-bennetts%E2%80%99-royal-shakespeare-theatre-in-stratford/5015944. article>
8 The National Museum of Roman Art in Merida, Spain (n.d) Available at: < http://andrawatkins.com/2012/09/10/gardens-of-stone/> 9 Rafael Moneo, National Museum of Roman Art (n.d) Available at: < http://www.archiref.com/en/image/rafael-moneo.-national-museum-romanart-11-24272> 10 The National Museum of Roman Art (n.d) Rafael Moneo, Available at: < http://catalinavf.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/halloween-and-comenius.html> 11-25 Venice, Italy theatres (n.d) Available at: < http://www.innvenice.com/ en.Theatres.htm> 26 Sir Tyrone Guthrie (n.d) Available at: Mackintosh, I. (2011), ‘The Guthrie Thrust Stage: A LIving Legacy’, pdf, Available at: <http://www. theatreplan.co.uk/library/Downloads/The%20Guthrie%20Thrust%20Stage.pdf>
34 Ventilation system (2014) Available at: < http://www.kotobuki-seat. com/products/auditorium/zacsystem/> 35 Nottingham Contemporary, view of roof (2009) Available at: < https:// www.flickr.com/photos/nottingam_contemporary/sets/72157618526607974/ detail/> 36 Harlequin mask (n.d) Available at: < http://www. venetianmasquerademasks.co.uk/venetian-mens-harlequin-masks-in-white-andred-1399-p.asp> 37
Harlequin (2007) Available at: < http://inri.wordpress.com/2007/04/>
38 Kulturbau (2013) Available at: < http://www.domusweb.it/en/ architecture/2013/07/29/kulturbau_koblenz.html.html>
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1 Clark, C. and Pinder, D. (1999) ‘Naval Heritage and the Revitilisation Challenge: lessons from the Venetian Arsenale’, ELSEVIER, online, Available at: ,<http://www.deepdyve.com/lp/elsevier/naval-heritage-and-the-revitalisation-challenge-lessons-from-the-t3HC0aceoJ> 2 Panthers (1976) ‘Our History’, Available at: < http://www.panthersreyer.it/> (Accessed on 15 October 2013) 3
Morris, J. (1993) ‘Venice’, London: Faber & Faber, p.202
4 Boym, S. (2011) ‘Ruinophilia: Appreciation of Ruins’, online, Available at: <http://monumenttotransformation.org/atlas-of-transformation/html/r/ruinophilia/ruinophilia-appreciation-of-ruins-svetlana-boym. html> 5 Giplin, W. (1768) ‘Essay on Prints’, Available at: < http://www. siue.edu/~jvoller/Common/picturesque.html> (Accessed on 20 November 2013) 6 Boym, S. (2011) ‘Ruinophilia: Appreciation of Ruins’, online, Available at: <http://monumenttotransformation.org/atlas-of-transformation/html/r/ruinophilia/ruinophilia-appreciation-of-ruins-svetlana-boym. html> 7 Mackintosh, I. (2011), ‘The Guthrie Thrust Stage: A LIving Legacy’, pdf, p.7, Available at: <http://www.theatreplan.co.uk/library/Downloads/The%20Guthrie%20Thrust%20Stage.pdf> 8 Machado, R. (1976) Old Buildings as palimpsest, Towards a theory of remodelling, Progressive Architecture, p.46-49
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Continuity in Architecture