Porto Marghera BioDesign School
A cross-disciplinary approach to design & sustainability
Located in the industrial harbour area of the Venice lagoon, the Bio-Design school of Porto Marghera is composed of four departments in direct relation with the industrial, cultural and natural wealth of the site: design, botany, naval design and marine biology.
Investing existing buildings for new uses
The idea is to enhance the great possibilities offered by this remarkable environment by reinvesting two currently abandoned industrial structures of great architectural interest : one is devoted to theory, learning and exhibition while the second is used for the fabrication and experiments workshops.
BioDesign School Main entrance
Existing structure converted into the workshop hall of the new Biodesign School
Naval architecture workshop
Student patio of the Fabric - workshop hall
Existing structure converted into the main hall of the new Biodesign School
Exhibition space of the Agora. The indoor ponds, self-managed by marine biology and botany students, help to regulate the indoor climate of the hall thanks to their thermal inertia capacity.
Drawing classes on the rooftop of one of the circular amphitheaters. These two volumes are deliberately built in masonry - a tribute to local construction techniques - to facilitate their implementation in the construction phase (the existing structure of the hall does not allow access to bulky machines such as concrete mixer trucks).
Summer view of the learning hall from the roof of the modular amphitheater. The classrooms are accessible by suspended walkways creating a natural overhang for solar protection in addition to the vertical vegetal screen created by tensioned cables.
Organization of the Agora Learning hall
Access walkways for classrooms in the Agora hall
View of a study room opening towards the Venetian lagoon
L'espace de projection et la cafétéria des étudiants au cœur de l'Agora
Longitudinal section of the modular amphitheater
Bio-climatic strategy over the course of the seasons
The BioDesign School, its greenhouse and the gardens of the Botany Department from the canal
Exploded axonometry of the halls structure : the new floors and interior walls are made of a lightweight timber struture and masonry (circular amphitheatres).
Exploded axonometric view of the public library structure