OUT OF THE BLUE

Project Theme: Urban Design | Temporary installation

Project Year: 2019

Client: Municipality of Venice

Location: Venice, Arsenale Nord

Site Owner: State Property

Site Dimension: 170 Sqm

Design: Barman architects with Roberta Martel and Filippo Andrighetto

Project Team: Roberta Bartolone, Giulio Mangano and Roberta Martel, Filippo Andrighetto

Status: Built

OUR TASK

“Out of the blue” is a temporary installation built in an open-air area with heritage value, facing the Lagoon of Venice and Murano Island. The project aims to valorize the north entrance to the Arsenale area on the occasion of the Venice Boat Show of 2019. “Out of the Blue” incorporates a strong sense of place—reflecting the Venetian lagoon, its landscape, and its distinctive color palette.

the context

Located on one of the pedestrian access streets to the Arsenale north, the installation was built on the back of the monumental area of Tese, a system of historic warehouses connected by large arches. These buildings symbolize the centuries-old military domination of the Serenissima Republic of Venice and the beating heart of its naval industry. The project area offers an incomparable view of Murano Island and the lagoon and the historical context of Arsenale right in the center of Venice.

the project

Before the intervention, the green area was in a complete state of abandonment. The project, close to zero budget, aims to recover the site by transforming it from a place of passage to a viewpoint far away from crowds of tourists. The project comprises two simple elements: a mirror and a circle-blue sand square. The first one covered the façade of a not-restored twentieth-century building. The mirror has an inclination that allows you to reflect the lagoon landscape and the sitting point created within the circle of blue sand with two pieces of Istrian stone recovered from the Arsenale.