Artisan school in Venice

Kazan State University of architecture and engineering, Institute of Architecture and Design, Faculty of Architecture

Project idea

Venice is the city of the Doges and canals, for centuries has been one of the leading maritime hubs in the Mediterranean. The small islands of the Venice are divided by 150 rivers and connected by about 150 bridges. The Rialto Bridge connect the two side of Great Canal and it is one of the most recognized icons along with the San Marco bell tower. The symbol architectures represent Venice as the ancient crafts still practiced today: glass processing, the art of paper mache and implementation fine fabrics are a thriving tradition that the artisans operating in the three sectors have never abandoned. Artisan School in Cannaregio district – a place middle between the train station, the Grand Canal and the island of Murano – is a laboratory where train the teachers of tomorrow. Contemporary architecture located in the heart of the historical center to form an ideal bridge between the past and present.

Project description

The length of the building from west to east is approximately 46m and the width is 20 m.
The total area of the building is 2490 m2. The total built-up area is 950m2.
There is a old brick wall around the perimeter of the territory. We preserve this wall and make some windows for light in it. So we focus on the past of this place. The upper two floors project outwards creating a canopy above the first floor. They are faced with structural glazing which covered with grilles. This grilles are made of aluminum with a thickness of 4 mm. In addition to the decorative function, they perform the function of sun protection. In this way all the facades of the building are faced. The upper part of the facade symbolizes the present and future that comes from the past.
Cutting panels is not chosen by chance. Here goes the reference to the facades of the Doge's Palace. The scale of its facade differs from the surrounding architecture. We also took advantage of this technique in the school of crafts project.
The golden color of the metal fits perfectly with the antiquity of the surrounding buildings.
The ground floor contains: Reception, storage room, library, the main exhibition area, additional exhibition areas in the corridors of the building, buffet, internal garden.
On the second floor: second light for the exhibition area, an atrium for the inner garden and also there is an lecture hall of 360 people.
On the third floor: an atrium and 3 workshops for each.
Toilets for men, women and for people with limited mobility located on each floors.
Here is also two staircases and three lifts. One lift especially for lifting goods from the storage room.
The entrance door on the side of the canal, according to the Venetian traditions, opens inside. On the side of the channel there is a platform in 1.5 m wide and 14 m long for a landing from the gondola.
The entrances and exits are located on the south and north sides of the building.

Technical information

The school has only tree floor. The height of the surrounding building varies by 5 levels and more. Thats why the height of the floors has been increased. Thus, the first floor is 4.95 m high, the second is 6.0 m and the third is 5.1 m.
The upper mark of the building reaches 17 m.
In interiors we use simple materials : white plaster of walls, concrete bulk floor, floor tiles in auditoriums and smaller for bathrooms. Wall partitions are made of glass.
The roof of the building is possible for use as an additional platform for walking.
Constructions details:
The building is worth on the pile foundation. Piles are grouped by 4pcs under each supporting column.
The building stands with columns 300х900 mm. Pitch of columns 6000mm. The span of the columns is 14000. They are supported by structural beams of 1m section above which a monolithic overlap is erected. Further columns of beams protrude 3000 mm. The upper roof covering is made of a structure. Due to this, the inner garden is closed. The maximum length of the ledge is 6000mm. Staircases additionally have columns 300x300mm.
The surrounding wall of the old brick stands on its own foundation.