Considering the modern development of the city, it has brought along issues like heat stress, insufficient water management, smog and decreasing biodiversity. The proposal aims to give a strong identity to the city while addressing all of the previous mentioned issues. To do this we have to look past the city boundaries and acknowledge the importance of the conjunction between the cultivated land, the hamlets and the city itself.
The approach for San Donà’s Corridor is to use a strategy where a productive landscape naturally grows along the main infrastructure of the city, connecting the ecological corridors of the Piave river and the Navigabile canal with a green corridor in the middle of the dense urban fabric.
SPECIES
Along the San Donà Corridor a wide selection of species will flourish and grow for different purposes. Initially, all the native species will be implemented to restore the ecosystem, so insects and other species will follow once their natural habitat is available again. With the transition to a circular economy construction will shift from the use of artificial materials to renewable bio-based materials. Part of the production can take place within and around the city where the trees and crops will be the living stock of construction materials for the future developments. So in this way, when consuming in the city one will be always reminded where the origin and the process each product has been gone through. In this way, by introducing productive species into the city fabric we can experience the whole cycle from seed to final product while consuming the local food.
SAN DONÀ CORRIDOR
The San Donà Corridor is the accelerator of a green invasion to the city. Where natural vegetation will be restored along the cultivated land on the outskirts of the city, productive landscapes combined with different program elements are implemented along the new axis from Porte Nuova on the North end to the Piave river on the South end. The productive corridor will relieve the axis from heat stress, create water buffers, increase biodiversity and brings a strong identity to the city. It will offer recreational spaces and both social and economical opportunities for the local citizens while bringing tourists from outside to experience a stroll along the boulevard while picking flowers, berries and apples, drinking a glass of wine at an urban vineyard and ending the day along the Piave river watching an open air movie screening with a bag of locally produced popcorn.
AGRICULTURAL AGORA
The AVTO site on piazza IV novembre will be redeveloped as a key location along the San Donà Corridor. The Agricultural Agora will complement the Porta Nuova and the Piazza Indipendenza as one of the 3 main public areas along the new city axis. The site will be a place where local residents and visitors come together. It will function as a showcase of agricultural innovation, water management, biodiversity and local production, cuisine and culture. The former bus station will be restored where needed and adapted to the current standards of efficient energy usage. A large mixed-use greenhouse is placed perpendicular to the existing building and internal bridges cross and connect the two volumes together.
While the former bus station will house workshops, dance and music classes, a multifunctional room for cultural events and flexible workspaces, the main function of the greenhouse will host an open market surrounded by a nursery of native plants and crops, where visitors can collect home local products and plants for their own garden. Besides, the building will have an interaction with the outside with its operable facade and with the interior by offering the possibility to collect fresh ingredients from the ground floor to the restaurants located in the upper levels, in that way can enjoy a freshly cook meal while seating in between the greenery.
The materials for the new buildings will be bio-based where possible. This juxtaposes the old bus station (concrete and steel) towards the new circular building techniques (wood and bio-based materials), as well as, to be a showcase and example for the future of the city.
Taking into account San Dona’s constant changes the new buildings will have a solid concrete foundation and their architecture will be composed of prefabricated modular elements, so in the future both buildings can be easily repurposed and the site can change along with the ever developing city.
Year:
2021
Team:
Andrés López, Isabel Driessen, Quang Minh Huynh
Location:
San Donà di Piave, Italy
Client:
Europan 16
Program:
Urban renovation and architecture
Size:
Strategic site 70 Ha - Project site 1.6 Ha
Status:
Competition entry