Venice, Italy—Rather than see urban design in Piazzale Roma as a salvage operation, this project capitalizes upon qualities unique to Venice and already present at the site. We decided to re-examine the urban infrastructure of the site, and to concentrate the architectural operation at the level of its redefinition. The image of Venice has been created as much by Mestre as by the canals, squares and churches of the museum city. This project sets out to articulate that tension and transition as a real place in Venice today. The character of the place is not to be masked in the effort to artificially mark a "gateway".

Finalist, International Competition

Principals: Jesse Reiser and Nanako Umemoto (in collaboration with Stan Allen)

Assistants: Michael Silver, Maki Uchiyama