Z15P3

Benjamin J. Taylor 140057540 Academic Portfolio Semester 2 - Stage 5

Voice of Venice

Contents

Realising the neccessity for care of the non human of Venice through the Centro del Suono di Venezia, an institurion facilitating the voice of the city.

Benjamin J. Taylor

5

01 - semester 2 critical introduction

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02 - theoretical expression

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03 - developing the design

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04 - realising the design

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05 - semester 2 critical evaluation

Updated work

New work 2

3 When viewing in PDF all images are high resoulution and can be zoomed into

01

Following on from Semester 1, the Oikos Transformed studio

The programme which resulted from this centres around care

looked to build upon studio themes developed in the Urban

for the brick and birthing a direct connection between the

Intervention design project running to the end of January.

human and this non-human object which holds the city up

As students we were tasked to formulate a programme and

to redevelop the kinship between the human and the brick

subsequently design a building which would respond to

through listening to the brick and the city of Venice itself, in

technological enquiries we began to think about in the first

essence, allowing Venice to have a voice.

semester.

The resulting building leads to a fascinating exploration into My interest and the formative driver towards my investigations

brick construction and the development of spaces formed

and research this year lies in the walls of the city, the very

as a result. Through carrying out research I touched on the

building blocks which construct the curious calles and grand

architecture of Rafael Moneo as well as looking back into

palazzos of the floating city. The bricks of Venice struck an

the construction techniques used in Roman architecture to

interest in me as they remain to be so vital to the city yet

develop a building which creates spaces for users to connect

are suffering as non-human entities as a result of human

with Venice through sound, in a way that Venetians and

overindulgence.

tourists may never have experienced the city before.

Semester 2 Critical Introduction 4

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Pg. 8 top to bottom: Overture, act & cadenza soundscapes produced for the Opera of Venice Pg. 9 above: Images of Semester 1 urban intervention

Overture

Act Care Understanding the stresses the modern world has placed on the building fabric of Venice.

Semester 1 Themes Cadenza

In Semester 1, I looked into Venice and its musical history as a way through which I could represent the sounds of Venice and create performance in a urban environment for which the distresses of Venice could be played out in front of onlookers.

Venice’s rich history of opera became the key medium in

Education Disseminating information through music to Venetians and tourists raising awareness of the damage of human overuse on the city.

which the sounds of the city could be performed. I curated sounds into three parts and mapped them out in soundscapes visualising them and curating them into an overture, and act and a cadenza through which similarities could be drawn with the composition of an opera.

The protagonists of Care, Education and Performance are to be carried through into the Semester 2 project, but a different angle is to be taken in the composition of music with an emphasis on electronic music replacing the operatic themes of Semester 1.

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Performance Creating a tangible expression of Venice in the form of music; giving the city of Venice a voice.

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Care for the bricks The building fabric of Venice has become ever more vulnerable to the very element that makes the city so unique, its water.

The salty sea water causes irreparable damage to the bricks through erosion as when the water is absorbed by the pervious brick and then evaporates tiny salt crystals are left behind. These salt crystals over time grow and expand, cracking the brick and in some cases simply turning the bricks to dust.

It has long been a theme that the bottom 40 courses of brick in a Venetian building would be replaced every 10 years, however, with the increasing damage to the brick as a result of sea level rises and increased boat traffic in the city, erosion is occurring at a quicker rate than seen before. The care of the brick is ever more apparent to maintain the longevity of this special cultural city and raising awareness of damage being caused will help protect the city from crumbling away.

Pg. 10 left to right: Personal images of brick walls around Venice showing erosion.

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Pg. 11 above: Personal image of Venetian wall with stucco showing erosion.

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Pg. 12 top to bottom: Drawings showing before and after sea level rises and relationship to the bricks of Venice Pg. 13 top left to bottom right: Referenced image 1 of acqua alta breaching istrian marble; Personal image of water below istrian marble line; Referenced image 2 of ‘No Navi Grandi’ campaign; Personal image of acqua alta

1900 - little boat traffic and sea level below istrian marble datum

2020 - increased boat traffic, higher global sea levels causing sea water to breach istrian marble datum regularly

Venice and water

temperatures rise alarmingly, melting polar ice

The great uniqueness of Venice is its romantic

led to Acqua Altas, the phenomenon of high

relationship with the water which surrounds

tides flooding the streets of the city, becoming

and inhabits the floating city. Water has been

more frequent and increasingly severe.

caps and subsequently rising sea levels. This has

ever present and resultingly buildings were Traditionally

Coupling this with the increase in boat traffic

buildings in Venice were designed appropriately

due to the exponential expansion of the tourism

with Istrian Marble at the base of all walls due

industry and the introduction of cruise ships to

to its impervious characteristics protecting the

the city, the wash of which laps the sea water

more pervious clay brick from the dangers of

up onto the walls, the former protection for the

the salty water.

bricks of Venice is frequently breached leaving

designed with this in mind.

them vulnerable to the damaging erosion of the 12

Over recent years, however, we have seen global

sea water.

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Care

Education

Performance

Centro del Suono di Venizia

through the cracking of the brick, ambient sounds could be

Having identified my core protagonist for my programme

audio surveillance specialists who are employed at the Centro

of the brick, and understood the dangers the brick faces as

del Suono di Venezia and work in a special brick monitoring

caused by the modern world, I took the key themes from my

lab.

recorded and used in music. This would all be undertaken by

Semester 1 project and looked to build a schedule of elements which would all work together with the collective aim of

The sounds collected by the audio surveillance specialists

generating a new relationship with Venice through the bricks

would then need to be curated and composed into music, this

embedded in the city.

would be done through the inclusion of a music school in the programme. Here raw audio sounds would be modified

Brick Adjustment Centre

Brick Monitoring

Exhibition Space Music School

Listening Bricks

The principle requirement for the project to work is the

and enhanced with traditional instruments by teachers and

collation of sounds taken from across the city, this would

students to create music which evokes contemplation and

be achieved through the installation of listening bricks city

realisation of the damage Venice is suffering under.

wide. Listening bricks would be just like any other normal brick, apart from they would have a contact microphone

For the music to be enjoyed by Venetians and the public,

installed into them, this would be done at the in house ‘Brick

spaces to experience the music must also have a place in the

Adjustment Centre’. Venetians would bring their brick along

programme. This could be achieved in a traditional manner

and be able to have a microphone inserted into their brick in

in the form of an auditorium, though additional spaces

front of their eyes for them to install in their wall.

to experience the music in different manners is desirable such as an event space where the sounds could be used in

Sampling Experts

Venetian Fabric

Auditorium

Public

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Private

The purpose of listening to the bricks would primarily be to

performance. The combination of these elements into the

detect cracking or any deterioration and to alert the owner of

building is intended to create a new experiential view into a

the bricks to this as a short term remedy to ensure buildings do

world of Venice not typically noticed and therefore allowing

not fall into disrepair. Secondly, along with the noises heard

the city to have its voice.

Educating to Care and Protect

Pg. 14: Programme diagram developed to identify a schedule for the building

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Pg. 17: Map showing the locations of the acqua alta towers and their relationship to Piazza San Marco, location of proposed Centero del Suono di Venezia also shown.

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Pg. 16 top to bottom: Reference images 3 - 7 of a selection of Venetian towers used for acqua alta sirens.

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The implementation of a network of listening bricks in Venice would look to adapt an already established network which covers the city. The acqua alta siren system works on a city wide wi-fi network which is centralised at the Comune

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di Venezia buildings in Piazza San Marco.

The network makes use of 15 towers which punctuate through the roofline of the city acting as beacons of sound providing prior warning and vital information about the height of forthcoming acqua altas. The towers could act as node points for which to receive sounds from localised bricks

San Geremia

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Listening Brick Network

and relay the sounds to the audio surveillance specialists in the Centero del Suono di Venezia

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Pg. 18: Map showing the web of connections made from the new Brick Network implemented across the city.

Pg. 19 top to bottom: Comune di Venezia document showing the new building law; Image of a listening brick; Reference image 8 of builder replacing the bricks on a wall.

Direzione Sportello Unico Edilizia

P.D.D. 2013/ 2415 D.D. 2013/ 2698

del 20.11.2013 del 24.12.2013

Oggetto: Modalità organizzative per versamento e rateizzazione del contributo di costruzione, ai sensi art. 16 comma 1- 2 e 3 D.P.R. 6 giugno 2001, n. 380 “Testo unico delle disposizioni legislative e regolamentari in materia di Edilizia”.

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IL DIRETTORE Premesso che: -Premesso con Determinazione Dirigenziale n. 72 del 3.2.2010 sono stati stabiliti i nuovi criteri per la che: corresponsione del contributo di costruzione per i permessi di costruire e per le denunce di inizio - con attività; Determinazione Dirigenziale n. 72 del 3.2.2010 sono stati stabiliti i nuovi criteri per

l’implementazione di mattoni d’ascolto in tutta la città -inizio nell’applicazione dell’attività; della suddetta determinazione si è ravvisata la necessità di apportare delle modifiche ed integrazioni ai criteri previsti;

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- nell’applicare la suddetta determinazione, era necessario formulare una decisione - con l’entrata in vigore del Decreto del Presidente della Repubblica 6 giugno 2001, n. 380 modifiche e integrazioni ai criteri previsti; "Testo unico delle disposizioni legislative e regolamentari in materia di edilizia" e s.m.i., sono state introdotte disposizioni fondamentali anche in materia degli oneri concessori, - concui l’entrata in vigore delleDecreto delper Presidente della Repubblica 6 giugnodi2001, n. 380 con vengono stabilite modalità la determinazione del Contributo Costruzione “Testo unico delle disposizioni legislative introducendo e regolamentari in materia di edilizia”alla Legge n. per il rilascio del Permesso di Costruire, modifiche in relazione 10 del 28 Gennaio 1977 e L.R. 61/1985; - La legge di costruzione a Venezia ora stabilisce che un mattone d’ascolto deve essere in qualsiasi nuova di costruzione ad vengono una distanza compresa tra 5-10 m per consen-al -inserito in materia di contributo costruzione richiamate le disposizioni contenute tire al IICentro di Venezia di del monitorare la degredazione degli edifici e registrare Capo (Criteridel perSuono la determinazione contributo) della legge regionale 27 giugno 1985, suoni in tutta laper città. n.

61 "Norme l'assetto e l'uso del territorio" e successive modificazioni, per la parte non in contrasto con i principi fondamentali desumibili dal testo unico D.P.R. 6 giugno 2001, n. 380; - la Legge 9 agosto 2013 n. 98 di conversione, con modificazioni, del decreto-legge 21 giugno 2013 n. 69 “Disposizioni urgenti per il rilancio dell’economia” all’articolo 30, comma 3, ha introdotto la possibilità, salva la diversa disciplina regionale, previa comunicazione del soggetto interessato, di prorogare di due anni i termini di inizio e di ultimazione dei lavori di cui all’articolo 15 del D.P.R. del 6 giugno 2001, n. 380 per i titoli abilitativi rilasciati o comunque formatisi antecedentemente alla data del 21 agosto 2013 (entrata in vigore del decreto legge 21 giugno 2013 n. 69); nonché la proroga di anni tre dei termini di validità di inizio e fine lavori nell’ambito delle convenzioni di lottizzazione di cui all’articolo 28 della legge 17 agosto 1942, n. 1150, ovvero degli similari comunque nominati 5 -accordi 10m distancing dalla legislazione regionale, stipulati sino al 31 dicembre 2012; nonché l’applicazione delle disposizioni anche alle DIA e SCIA presentate entro lo stesso termine.

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The network of bricks across the city of Venice through adapting the aqua alta siren

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system to not only emit sound, but receive sound creates a broad catchment are from across the city, enabling the monitoring of bricks on a large scale to identify

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localised stress on the bricks enabling care and also providing a vast array of sounds for the music to be composed in the music school.

To ensure the system is implemented, a new law will be put in place, ensuring that any newly constructed brick walls, or any brick walls being repaired, must include the listening bricks embedded into the wall every 5-10m. The new law reads; ‘The laws of construction in Venice now state a listening brick must be inserted into any new construction, or repairs, at a distance of between 5-10m to allow the Centre for the Sound of Venice to monitor building degradation and record sounds across the city.’

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Having an established network of listening bricks which can detect sounds from across the city, the audio surveillance specialists will pick out sounds of particular interest or prominence which

Boat Engine

Voices

Instruments

Cough

Crying

Laughing

may be mapped and displayed in a manner such as the left image. This dissects the sounds their type, how loud they may be, the time recorded and their location.

The sounds can then be utilised by the teachers and students in the music school to create pieces of music which may evoke contemplation and realisation of the stresses placed upon Venice and enable the listener to perhaps reflect on whether they could live their life slightly differently in

Water

Thud

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Seagul

Music

order to globally protect the planet, but also protect culturally significant landmarks such as

Cracking

Siren

Venice from falling foul to the climate emergency.

Pg. 20: Speculative mapping of sounds collected by the audio surveillance specialists on one day.

Pg. 21: A score for a reflective piece using the collected sounds expressing the distresses of the Venetian building fabric with accompanyting QR code to music.

This piece may be composed within the school to highlight the cracking of the bricks after an acqua alta creating a sense of solemnness punctuated by the staccato cracks of the brick.

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With the collection of sounds from across Venice and the composition of music in the music school, experiential spaces to listen to the sounds of the city realising the care needed for the bricks and the city are required. Different methods can be employed to achieve this and the programme aims to achieve this. While the traditional method of experiencing music in an auditorium will be catered for naturally; an alternative method might be the use of robotic dancing jackets which respond in unison creating a choreographed dance responding to music.

The characterisation of the music in this way may provide a unique and differing way to realise the stresses the building fabric of the city faces, evoking emotion and raising awareness in a different manner. An event space could be used for such an activity, one which could not only house the robots but also may serve multiple uses potentially for use by the famous biennale hosted in the city.

While these two mediums provide ways of experiencing the composed music in the school, experiencing the sounds in their rawest form may be the most powerful for some people, providing a more honest way of connecting with this different world of Venice through the sounds. A hidden space where people may come to make this connection may be desirable

Listening to Venice

where sounds emanate out of the walls such as a garden where Venetians could come to sit and hear the voice of their city.

Pg. 22: Reference image 9 of Inferno by Louis-Phillipe Demers and Bill Vorn; Video reference 1 of Inferno by Louis-Phillipe Demers and Bill Vorn

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Pg. 23: Reference images 10-12 of Inferno

by Louis-Phillipe Demers and Bill Vorn; Lo Squero Auditorium in Venice by architects Cattaruzza and Millosevich Architetti Associati; Drawing of sound emanating from walls by Studio Weave of the Lullaby Factory

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03

Developing the design

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Cannaregio Site

the series of maps on the following page shows how tourism

The site chosen for the Centero del Suono di Venezia is located in

restaurants along the arterial route Rio TerĂ de la Maddalena. The

the northern region of Cannaregio. Located between the Canale

further north in the region, hotels and restaurants become more

Grande and the Lagoon, the region accommodates for both

sparse as the region becomes largely residential.

has clustered to the south with a concentration of hotels and

tourists and resident Venetians. As a result of its proximity to the train station and routes out of the city towards nearby Padua

My site can be found in a central location, almost equidistant

and Vicenza, the area houses a lot of commuters and therefore

between the Canale Grande and the lagoon. It is located on an

can in parts be typically uninhabited during the day. This part of

island between the Rio de la Misericordia and the Rio della Sensa,

Venice also was the location of a lot of store warehouses and as a

two of the wide lateral east-west canals. Through being in the

result the canals to the north are often wider, particularly in the

middle of the Cannaregio region, the placement of the building

east-west orientation to accommodate for larger shipping boats to

can hope to offer attraction to both the tourists visiting briefly

moor and unload.

and also the resident Venetians as the programme aims to raise awareness for the care of the brick in all people who happen upon

Today the south of the region is the main heart of the activity,

the city.

Pg. 26 top to bottom: Map showing Cannaregio within the city of Venice; Closer map of Cannaregio showing site location

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Pg. 27: Series of site analysis maps expressing information about the location of tourism hot spots within Cannaregio

Hotels Restaurants 27

Pg. 28 top to bottom: Series of site analysis maps expressing different route types across the Cannaregio area of Venice.

Pg. 29 top to bottom: Two personal images expressing the wide open nature of the strong east-west fondamenta routes in Cannaregio; Personal image showing the narrow calles of Cannaregio.

A distinctive characteristic impressed upon me in Cannaregio is the grain of the streets in the region, clearly influenced by the need to get wider boats to the old warehouses to the north of the area a strong east west grain has developed. Routes across the region are obvious and easy to follow, however, travelling north or south can be confusing and disorientating as you journey through the narrower high walled calles between the large canals.

Often when travelling down these narrow calles you happen upon a sheer dead end where there is no bridge to cross, this is a charming characteristic of Venice allowing boats to get as close to building entrances as possible and something I will look to include in my own design.

East - West Fondamentas North - South Calles 28

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Pedestrian access Boat access

As it stands, the site currently is occupied by a selection of

certainly did not look as though it belonged to a work yard. Upon

constructions which appear when reviewed from above using

further research and while hard to see from points accessible to

Google Earth and from my visit to the site to be used as a work

the public a palazzo sits at the rear of the site and it could indicate

yard. Fronting the Rio della Sensa it appears as though the site

that this wall made up part of a walled garden formally belonging

has been added to over time with no clear continuity between

to the palazzo. Because of the long standing association with the

the built forms present which further suggest the site has been

site and its relationship to the palazzo at the rear, from an early

repurposed from its original uses. The far north of the site

stage I made the decision that this wall should be retained as part

consists of a facade which bears an empty plot of land to the

of any design which would develop on the site.

rear, moving south the site consists of a large lightweight looking structure sitting behind what would appear to be a retained facade

With the retained facade facing the Rio della Sensa, a point at

and finally a large wall with a grand entrance looks to hold the

which entry to the site via boat became apparent while entry

work yard behind.

to the site by foot would be achieved down a small existing calle currently serving residential accommodation from the

The large wall to the south of the site facing onto the Rio della Sensa attracted my attention when visiting the site in that it

Fondamenta de la Misericordia.

Existing Site

Pg. 30 top to bottom: Personal images of site

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Pg. 31 top left to bottom right: Existing site plan with pedestrian and boat access shown; Axonometric showing existing buildings in red; Edited satallite image of site

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Pg. 32: Sketches working through spatial planning.

Pg. 33: Initial sketches exploring the section and relationship to canal.

With the site for the proposal identified I had some immediate clear design responses.

Working through

sketching I started to spatialise ideas and begin to generate some understanding of the forms developing and applying them to the site.

It became apparent the auditorium should address the canal and the site began to split naturally manifesting spaces fitting to the programme.

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Inital Sketches

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With the programme for the project centred around care for the brick, it naturally becomes the materiality of choice for the building. The relationship of brick to the existing vernacular of Venice further reinforces the material choice and in keeping with traditional Venetian methods of construction Istrian marble will act as a protection method from the dangerous salt water that causes damage to the pervious brick, however, the line at which the Istrian marble ends and brick starts will be higher, in response to the sea levels of the 21st Century.

Constructional approaches are born out of this material choice with vaults and arches creating some inspirational spaces. The scale of the brick vaults in Daniel Asher Alexander’s Tobacco Docks, London built at the start of the 19th Century act as good precedent while the atmosphere created by the Imperial Cistern, Istanbul demonstrates a fascinating relationship between the tectonics of the vaulted structure and the water below providing inspiration for the building.

Pg. 34 top to bottom: Images of brick and Istrian marble; Reference image 13 of Imperial Cistern, Istanbul.

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Pg. 35: Reference image 14 of vaults of Tobacco Docks, London.

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Initial Massing Following the demolition of the buildings that occupy the site currently, leaving only the retained wall I initially began breaking down the area left empty by the site. In keeping with the language of Cannaregio I looked to create a new calle running right across the island the site

Splitting mass

Ground floor

First floor

Connecting masses

Merging mass

Adding circulation

sits on, from the Fondamenta de la Misericordia to the Rio della Sensa.

At the middle of the calle would sit a new campo, a small square of which the main pedestrian entrance to the building could be found. I also split the site in two

Post demolition buildable mass

at the line which the retained facade ends running back to the palazzo with the idea of the building having a side dedicated to the care of the brick, while the other side is dedicated to the sounds, the composition and performance of them.

I undertook some initial massing of the spaces identified in the programme development stage of the project working out relationships between the two sides of the palazzo. Out of this came the idea of the music school sitting in a tower rising up from the site referring to the relationship the Centero del Suono di Venezia has with the towers around the city connected to the building using the established listening network.

Proposed new calle

Brick Care Centre Carbon capture garden Vaults Foyer Auditorium Monitoring suites Circulatory space Music School

Music school tower

Splitting of site

Pg. 36 top to bottom: Axonometric diagrams showing inital site responses.

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Pg. 37: Initial massing diagrams.

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In-situ massing

The initial massing design led onto the application of a system of vaults on a 4m grid, seen in the above plan, initially filling the site before being added to and subtracted from in certain areas to fit the massing with the tower rising up in a 3 x 3 grid above the rest of the structure. The regularity of the grid developed by the vault structure provided a strong rhythm to the site and provided opportunity for internal spaces to be split down easily creating rational spaces to be inhabited by the elements set out in the programme.

Having considered the practicalities of the 4m grid and taking

Application of 4m vaulted grid

into consideration the size of columns which were becoming apparent, the spaces generated would be too small for spaces which might host exhibitions such as the robotic jackets in the event space.

Expressing of vault system

> 4m

Pg. 39 top to bottom: 4m structural grid plan; Atmospheric expressing tight nature of the 4m grid vault system.

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Pg.40: Axonometric series showing development of 4m vault structured concept.

Initial vaulted system concept

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Pg. 40 top left to bottom right: Sketched sections working through the structural strategy; Sketched plans working through structural strategy.

Pg. 41 top to bottom: Initial plans.

The initial massing design led onto the application of a system of vaults on a 4m grid, seen in the above plan, initially filling the site before being added to and subtracted from in certain areas to fit the massing with the tower rising up in a 3 x 3 grid above the rest of the structure. The regularity of the grid developed by the vault structure provided a strong rhythm to the site and provided opportunity for internal spaces to be split down easily creating rational spaces to be inhabited by the elements set out in the programme.

Inital structural grid

Ground floor

First floor

Typical tower floor

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Inital structural grid

Ground floor

With the use of masonry structures on such scale, the impact of the horizontal loads and the necessity for significant buttressing became apparent, particularly to support the tower housing the music school.

First floor

The use of flying buttresses would aid in the supporting of the masonry in the tower, however there became points of conflict at where buttressing was beginning to encroach on the surrounding buildings.

In particular the palazzo to the rear of the site was posing a problem which would need to be addressed.

Pg. 42 top to bottom: East-west section looking south showing buttressing of the tower and vaults; North -South section looking west showing further buttressing; Plan expressing horizontal loading.

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Pg. 43: Series of further developed plans.

Typical tower floor

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Pg. 44 top to bottom: Reference images 15 17 of the Merida Museum by Rafael Moneo in Spain.

Pg. 45: Sketches thinking through the application of the tectonic characteristics employed in the Merida Museum and application in my proposal.

To find solutions for the issue regarding buttressing for the final design I researched further masonry constructions in the 20th and 21st century. A building which became apparent using structural properties employable by myself in my building was the Merida Museum by Rafael Moneo in Spain.

The Merida museum consists of a large open central exhibition space constructed using large thick walls which appear as though they are constructed out of solely brick, however, internally they are structurally supported by a concrete core.

This technique would have been influenced by the ways in which Roman architecture was constructed, appropriate for the museum with it being a museum of Roman art.

I began to sketch out ideas of how this could be applied to the tower and develop strategies which would be feasible to use in the final design.

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Realising the design

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Plans Ground Floor The ground floor plan is clearly expresses the 6m structural grid with the 4m intersection running through. The east-west 4m row

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spaces in the event space located just off the entrance and the

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has been moved to the back of the building creating improved

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atrium space above. Three principle entries to the site can be 3

found on this floor, the first being by boat at the private dock

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off the Rio della Sensa. The second access is by foot into the Brick Adjustment Centre through a passageway created off the new calle; here while most of the arches facing onto the calle will

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be fenced using decorative fencing, one will remain open in the

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middle presenting a clear path towards the Adjustment Centre also providing access to the garden. The garden will provide space to contemplate raw sounds projected into the space of the

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city, here people can sit and enjoy the ambient sound of the city Do wn

chosen by the audio surveillance specialists housed in the building above. The third entry will be the main entrance to the rest of the building, facing directly onto the new campo, the entrance leads straight into the heated stair core at the back of the proposal with access to the event space through a set of sealed double doors.

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structure left visible.

Entering the building through the main entrance on the ground

Access to the music school above will be via a stair off the atrium

floor, the first space when rising the stairs is the atrium. This is the

while access to other parts of the building will be via a covered

principle space of the building where visitors for performances,

outdoor space through double doors in the Northeast corner of

students and teachers of the music school and the audio

the atrium. From circulatory space, access to the brick listening

surveillance specialists will all have to pass through. The atrium

suite can be achieved for the audio surveillance specialists who

will act as a space of gathering prior to performances with a bar

will work in space formed by brick vaults replicating those below

located at the opposing corner to entry. The space will express the

on the ground floor. An entrance to the auditorium can also

design language of the building expressing the use of bricks and

be found here providing a stair free access to the auditorium for

arches of various size at the base of the thick structural walls of the

disabled visitors while opposite the auditorium entrance is a lift

tower above. These will form a double height space looking up to

for equipment needed for performances to be transported up to

the mezzanine bridge across to the auditorium and the underside

the auditorium having arrived by canal. Further on from the lift

of the recording studios in the music school with glulam beam

a green room can be found for performers.

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First Floor

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Pg.48: Ground Floor Plan

Pg. 49: First Floor Plan

1. Entrance Foyer 2. Event Space 3. Private Boat Dock 4. Service Lift 5. Brick Care Centre 6. Garden

1. Entrance Atrium & Bar 2. Auditorium 3. External Circulatory Space 4. Service Lift 5. Green Room 6. Brick Listening Suite

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Second Floor The second floor provides the main access to the auditorium, visitors will climb the stairs and cross the bridge over the atrium below entering the auditorium through the back.

The auditorium itself is a space formed from a parabolic brick arched roof creating a tall, acoustically interesting space for performances.

Third Floor Rising up the tower this is the first floor housing the music school. The recording studios are located here in the form of isolated rooms supported on beams spanning the 800mm thick structural walls of the tower. The two recording studios feature a music recording room and an editing suite for combining the sound of traditional instrumental music with the noises of Venice

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collated by the audio surveillance specialists before passing onto Do wn

the music school for composition.

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Pg.50: Mezzanine Floor Plan

Pg. 51: Third Floor Plan

1. Auditorium 2. Mezzanine bridge to Auditorium

1. Recording Suite 1 2. Recording Room 1 3. Recording Suite 2 4. Recording Room 2

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Fourth floor On the fourth floor of the tower, but the second level of the music school, upon arrival students, teachers and visitors will come upon an open space intended for use as a common room. Here students can collaborate, work on group projects or work alone in an informal space with views out to the west over the city of Venice. A small seminar room can be found to the north of the plan with space for small group discussions between students but also smaller more intimate classes. Also found on this the middle floor of the music scchool, are male and female toilets.

Fifth floor On the top floor of the building and the music school is the

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formal class rooms, a more traditional classroom to the west with Do wn

a computer suite teaching room to the east. Here the sounds collected by the audio surveillance specialists may first arrive in the music school to be disected and edited for the composition of the reflective musical pieces to follow.

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Pg.52: Fourth Floor Plan

Pg. 53: Fifth Floor Plan

1. Common room area 2. Male Toilets 3. Female Toilets 4. Seminar Room

1. Classroom 2. Computer suite teaching room

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The system of vaults for the final design is built upon a 6m grid with a 4m grid intersecting. The decision for this was made to help with splitting the site into two sections, one in which the care for the brick is centred around while the opposing half concentrates on the music produced from the sounds collected with the bricks.

To combat the issue with buttressing creating a challenging junction with the palazzo to the rear of the site, a 4m grid section of the structural plan will be barrell vaults as a pose to the groin vaults employed across the rest of the site. This means only one directional load of thrust away from the palazzo, while the vault wall itself can act as a buttress for the horizontal thrust generated from the adjoining

6x6m & 4x6m groin vaults

groin vaults.

4x6m barrell vaults

Pg. 54 top to bottom: Axonometric showing different barrell vault and groin vaults; Structural grid plan expressing differing vault zoning

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Pg. 55 top to bottom: Ground floor plan showing how horizontal thrusts from vaults are kept from the palazzo in the Southeast corner of the site

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The elevation facing west expresses the openings in the ground floor of the building creating easily identifiable entrances to both the upper floors and the brick adjustment centre in the vaults and shows clearly the protective datum designed into the tectonics of the building to protect

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the brick from the sea water during acqua altas with the use of Istrian marble. The decorative fence filling the arches on the ground floor creates enclosure for the event space behind while it remains present to

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passers by both in a visual and audial manner.

The decorative facade continues with the language of the fencing providing shading from the hot afternoon sun in the summer months from the east with openings providing views out.

Overleaf are plans showing the relationship the building will have with the sea water of Venice and to the extent flooding will be accommodated for on the site. This also reflects the area which will be treated as indoors

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on the ground floor and subsequently thermally treated.

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Pg. 56 top to bottom: West Elevation.

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Pg. 57 top to bottom: Acqua alta ground floor plan; Ground floor thermal zone plan; First floor thermal zone plan.

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Section A-A takes expresses the spaces created in the vaults of

It is also evident in this section the multiple forms of construction

The image above builds upon the brick network maps showing

the building on the ground floor housing the brick adjustment

with brick displayed in the building. Firstly the vaults covering

the sounds at a city scale and their journey through the towers

centre, the brick listening suite directly above and the adjacent

the ground floor and employed in the construction of the brick

used in the acqua alta siren system to the Centro del Suono di

auditorium with the outdoor circulatory space in between. The

listening suite. Secondly the parabolic arch supported by the

Venezia. Upon arrival at the listening suite they are collated by

brick adjustment centre can be seen in use where Venetians

large flying buttresses creating a large high space for performance

the audio surveillance specialists before being sent up to the tower

would approach a workbench and interact with a worker who

in the auditorium; and finally the dense vertical structure of the

for composition in the music school.

would swiftly adjust bricks they have brought by embedding a

800mm walls punctuating up from the building in the form of

microphone into the brick in front of the customer. A machine is

the tower housing the music school.

also found at the brick adjustment centre for recycling old bricks by crushing them so that the crushed brick can be distributed in flower beds and soils for plants to use any embodied elements trapped in the brick following its extraction from the earth.

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A Pg. 58: Perspective section A-A.

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Pg. 59: Perspective sound section A-A; Render of brick adjustment centre looking out towards the garden..

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Pg. 60: Perspective section B-B. Pg. 61: Perspective sound section B-B.

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Section B-B shows the spaces in the tower and the route into the auditorium via the bridge. The event space in the vaults of the ground floor can also be seen with people taking part in an exhibition using the robot jackets dancing to music composed in the music school above. The use of the space under the auditorium seating can also be seen inhabited by the bar and the toilets.

Above is the continuation of the sounds of Venice; having arrived from the audio surveillance specialists, the sounds may find themselves primarily being dissected and edited by students and teachers in the teaching rooms before working their way down through the tower via the recording studios. At this point the blend of traditional musical instruments and the sounds of Venice collide to create the music desired for contemplation and realisation of the care of the city of Venice to be projected out to the visitors of the Centro del Suono di Venezia through the event space and the auditorium.

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1

1. From external to internal: 125mm brick external leaf; brick dimensions of 260x125x55mm with 8mm mortar joints 45mm cavity with steel wall ties Damp proof membrane 75mm insulation 125mm brick inner leaf 2. From external to internal: 125mm brick external leaf; brick dimensions of 260x125x55mm with 8mm mortar joints 50mm cavity with steel wall ties Damp proof membrane 75mm insulation 125mm brick inner leaf

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From external to internal: 125mm brick external leaf 18mm L shape steel lintel 115mm insulation Damp proof membrane 18mm L shape steel lintel 125mm brick internal leaf

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From external to internal: 258mm of double layer brick with 8mm mortar joint Concrete vault infill 20mm sand levelling screed Damp proof membrane 150mm rigid insulation 26mm polished concrete floor Timber stage frame; using 50x100mm section timbers 18mm cross laminated timber boards

The space in the auditorium created by the large parabolic arch provides a unique setting through which visitors would be able to come and experience Venice through a different world. The space is lit naturally by skylights while two large windows behind the performers look out over the

4

Rio della Sensa to the fodamenta on the oppsite bank of the canal. The arch is self supporting with buttressing aiding with the horizontal thrust generated by the weight of the brickwork while the window at the front of the auditorium is created with steel lintels supporting the brickwork above.

Pg. 62: Facade detail of auditorium facade facing Rio della Sensa; Closer window detail of auditorium facade.

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Pg. 63: Internal render of auditorium.

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1. From bottom to top:

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140mm wide bespoke trianglular glulam peams 12mm plasterboard 30mm insulation 120mm insulation Damp proof membrane 18mm cross laminated timber Waterproof course 50x25mm timber battens Clay pan tiles 2. From bottom to top: 190x400mm section glulam beams 12mm plasterboard 120x150mm glulam joists 18mm cross laminated timber 50mm rigid foam 20mm polished concrete surface

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Section C-C looks north through the

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tower and the garden principally showing the detailing. The scale of the double

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height space of the auditorium can be seen here as well as the buttressing which aid with the supporting of the tower.

3. From bottom to top: Coffered glulam ceiling; 50x400mm section in twos 20mm suspended sound diffuser tiles 50mm soundproofing insulation 18mm cross laminated timber board 4. From bottom to top: 140x200mm section glulam beams 12mm plasterboard 120x150mm glulam joists 100mm soundproofing insulation 18mm cross laminated timber board 50mm soundproofing insulation 18mm cross laminated timber board 5. From external to internal: 125mm brick external leaf; supported on 200x250mm reinforced concrete lintel Damp proof membrane 150mm insulation 75mm cavity; with steel wall ties 125mm brick internal leaf; supported on 300x250mm reinforced concrete lintel

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6. From bottom to top:

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258mm brick; brick dimensions of 260x125x55mm with 8mm mortar joints.

Concrete infill 20mm sand levelling screed Damp proof membrane 150mm rigid insulation 26mm polished concrete surface

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Pg. 64: Detail Section C-C.

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Pg. 65: Facade Detail.

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Pg. 66: Axonometric cutaway section of tower wall.

Pg. 67: Diagramatic sections of tower.

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The walls of the tower take influence from the Merida Museum

by Rafael Moneo in Spain. Much like the walls used in Moneo’s 14

building, my proposal uses 800mm thick walls appearing to

15

fact comes from the reinforced concrete core which has a brick

be structurally supported by brick. The structural support in surrounding envelope insulated at the ends of the walls to create a thermal barrier in the tower.

To stop the walls from rotating side to side, reinforced concrete horizontal supports will be located at the edges of the floor plates

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1. Concrete core

6. Brick screen steelL beam support

11. Double layered brick

2. Brick envelope

7. Polished concrete floor surface

12. Cast iron decorative fencing

3. Insulation

8. Rigid insulation

13. Istrian marble

4. External window

9. Sand levelling screed

14. Concrete slab foundation

5. Decorative brick shading

10. Concrete vault infill

15. Wooden piles

which also act as lintels for the internal leaf of brick. Further to this they frame the operable windows allowing natural cross ventilation through the tower in some spaces as well as single aspect ventilation in other spaces.

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The two images shown here express moments in the tower, the left image showing the use of the atrium as visitors begin to gather in the double height space inhabiting the spaces between the thick structural walls and the arches in them.

The right image shows the common room on the fourth floor of the tower, an informal space for students and teachers to enjoy and work in with views out across to the east of Venice.

Pg. 68: Internal render of music school common room highlighting view across Venice.

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Pg. 69: Internal render of atrium and bar.

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SEMESTER 2 CRITICAL EVALUATION Semester 2 has allowed me to build upon knowledge impressed

made me evaluate the how the relationships I hold with the

on me in Semester 1. It has allowed me to explore theories

non-human and how our planet is a shaped home full of a

which are not necessarily directly associated with architecture

wealth of inter-species relationships. Having taken particular

but ones which can be applied to the subject and I believe

interest in something so common as the brick throughout

that across the course of the year the application of theories

the course of the year, I have developed a deeper, more

which can be manifested into architecture is likely the greatest

theoretical understanding of the devastating impacts human

learning curve I have been on. I also believe that while I have

overindulgence is having on the planet.

learnt a lot about these I still have more to learn to develop as an architect to the point at which I could confidently practice

While the transition coming back to university has been

such a technique in the professional world. I do, however,

a personal challenge for me, I believe that I have slowly

believe that over the course of the year and in particular in

adapted back into the mindset of architectural education. I

Semester 2 I have started to grasp an understanding of the

look forward to my final year of university in architectural

importance of representation of ideas in order to disseminate

education where I hope I can finesse my architectural ability

the theories and reasoning behind my decisions cohesively.

to set myself up well for a successful career. In the mean time I hope to spend the summer taking time to rest after

The exploration of ideas such as new materialism and the

what has been a very different year, but also take time to start

researching the theories of care for the non-human, have

contemplating areas of personal interest which could be used

been eye opening experiences which I have thoroughly

to build a thesis project off, with the aspiration of finishing my

enjoyed. Taking particular interest in care over the year it has

Part 2 education off through a subject I am passionate about.

05

During the second semester of my fifth year in architectural

effected some of my outputs towards the degree. Despite this

education, the Coronavirus pandemic hit; a situation which

I feel I have worked to the best of my ability and did not feel I

changed the way everyone lived and people had to adapt to

wanted the additional time an extension or deferral may have

across the globe. Being fortunate enough to be from the

offered.

United Kingdom I believe it is important to reflect on the fact that we remain some of the lucky few in having the benefit of

While the transfer from the familiar one to one sessions

a National Health Service while those less fortunate are not

usually experienced in architectural tutorials to distance

afforded such luxuries. Despite not having to use the NHS

learning was slightly unusual, I actually found distance

due to thankfully not contracting the virus, or at least being

learning to be effective and in some ways help myself to

aware of having so if I have, the effects of the pandemic have

organise presentations and thoughts through the strict linear

led to changes in my life which have made my education more

process of a screen presentation. I feel as though my tutors

challenging.

were exceptionally easy to reach out to if need be and the zoom tutorials I had were as thorough and effective as a

With my mum working in the NHS as a nurse and having

one to one in person may have been. The only downside I

elderly relatives in the family, I chose to return to my home,

found of working away from university was the lack of studio

away from Newcastle to help my family cope with the unusual

environment with my peers. I believe the engagement with

environment we found ourselves in. I did sometimes loose out

fellow students not only is beneficial to mental wellbeing but

on time which I could have spent working on my architecture

I have also discovered how useful it can be to see peers work,

work, through running errands for my family, and as a result

which can be used in inspirational manners, but also as a

the stress to complete work for some deadlines was greater

gauge for which you can monitor personal progress with your

than I would normally experience, which is likely to have

work ensuring there is no risk of falling behind.

COVID-19 IMPACT SUMMARY

71

Image Bibliography 1

Goodell, J. (2017). Frequent saltwater flooding is damaging Venice’s structures [online] Yale Environment 360. Available at: https://e360.yale.edu/features/risingwaters-can-a-massive-sea-barrier-save-venice-from-drowning [Accessed on: 15 June 2020]

2

Anon. (unknown). Comitato No grandi navi [online] No Grandi Navi. Available at: http://www.nograndinavi.it/ [Accessed on: 25 June 2020]

3

Anon. (2015). San Marco square with Bell tower in Venice [online] Hotel Noemi.

Available at: https://www.hotelnoemi.com/gallery/the-hotel/attachment/36/ [Accessed on: 15 June 2020]

4

Italy Review. (unknown). San Francesco della Vigna Bell Tower [online] Venice Review. Available at: https://www.venicereview.org/san-francesco-della-vigna-belltower.html [Accessed on: 15 June 2020]

5

allaboutvenice. (2020). The church of the Redeemer - Redentore [online] All about Venice. Available at: https://allaboutvenice.com/2019/07/07/redentore/ [Accessed on: 15 June 2020]

6

Pahoulis, M. (unknown). Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari [online]. Available at: https://www.teggelaar.com/en/venice-day-2-continuation-3/ [Accessed on: 15 Jun 2020]

7

de Nodrest, F. (2011) Venice: San Geremia church [online] Flickr. Available at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/francois-2/6313986927 [Accessed on: 15 June 2020]

8 9

Imoden, D. (unknown). [online]. Available at: https://europeforvisitors.com/venice/ articles/venice-saltwater-destroys-brick.htm [Accessed on: 15 June 2020] ---Fonteneau, M (2017). LOUIS-PHILIPPE DEMERS / BILL VORN : INFERNO [online]. 5th Trondheim Biennale Meta.Morf 2018. Available at: http://metamorf. no/2018/project/inferno-louis-philippe-demers-bill-vorn/index.html [Accessed on 16 June 2020]

10

Ibid.

11

Anon. (unknown). The Auditorium “Loc Squero” [online]. veve glass. Available at: https://www.veveglass.it/auditorium-lo-squero-2019/ [Accessed on 16 June 2020]

12

Unknown (2012). Lullaby Factory [online]. Studio Weave. Available at: https:// www.studioweave.com/projects/lullaby-factory/ [Accessed on 16 June 2020]

13

Anon. (unknown). [online]. Imperial Cistern Istanbul. Available at: https://www. yerebatan.com/en/gallery [Accessed on: 15 June 2020]

14

Anon. (unknown). [online]. Tobacco Dock Vaults. Available at: https:// lovewapping.org/2018/08/tobacco-dock-wapping-residents-open-day-today/tobaccodock-vaults-north-dock/ [Accessed on: 15 June 2020]

15

Vilarino, A P. (2015). Then central “nave” [online] Arch Daily. Available at: https://www.archdaily.com/625552/ad-classics-national-museum-of-roman-artrafael-moneo [Accessed on: 16 June 2020]

16

Sanchez, M R. (2015). National Museum of Roman Art [online] Arch Daily.

Available at: https://www.archdaily.com/625552/ad-classics-national-museum-ofroman-art-rafael-moneo [Accessed on: 16 June 2020]

17

Allen, S (1980). Museum in Merida, worm’s eye axonometric [online] Drawing Matter. Available at: https://www.drawingmatter.org/index/stan-allen-rafael-moneomerida-museum-worms-eye-axonometric-1980/ [Accessed on: 16 June 2020]

Benjamin J. Taylor Stage 5 - Semester 2 Design Portfolio Newcastle University 2020