Saturday, August 13, 2016

Cotonificio Veneziano

Istituto Universitario di Architettura di Venezia, Former Santa Marta cotton mill, Dorsoduro, Venice

“Ali” (Wings) by Massimo Scolari, 1991
Istituto Universitario di Architettura di Venezia
(Former Santa Marta cotton mill)
Dorsoduro
Venice, September 2013

“The area is still noticeably less sleek than the centre, although fishing was superseded as a source of employment by the port long ago, and subsequently by the Santa Marta cotton mill - now stunningly converted into the Istituto Universitario di Architettura di Venezia. Massive redevelopment schemes were talked about for much of this downbeat district, with plans to revitalise it in a vast ‘university meets London Docklands’ style project, to a design by the late Catalan architect Enric Miralles. The plans included an auditorium, conference hall, restaurant and huge centralised university library, thus providing Venice's universities with something approaching a genuine campus. After various legal disputes, these ambitious schemes fell through and the two universities of Venice fell back on a more modest development plan, converting some of the ex-warehouses to classrooms and lecture halls; these constitute the Polo didattico San Basilio, which was inaugurated in March 2008.” (Time Out Venice)

No comments: