The project is centred around themes of social and cultural sustainability, in its broadest sense,
with a close study of the city of Venice, as a clear example of cultural impoverishment. Food is
used as a vehicle for this analysis due to its importance in Venetian everyday life, its heritage,
and the communal nature of sharing a meal.
The proposal is for a small urban community campus on the easternmost part of the city of
Venice, the Isola di Castello.
The project intends to serve both as a gathering place and a work location for local Venetian
people to preserve and create value in the region’s food culture through digital augmentation
and a seasonal festival celebration.
Particular focus is placed on the dining hall of the centre, the place of consumption and the
heart of the ‘sagra’. The building is constructed through the layering of different parts, from the
very permanent concrete to the most ephemeral digital layer. Each building component is
designed as a tribute to Venetian ornament, with the overall goal of going beyond visual
pleasure and seamlessly joining digital and physical functions for each piece, first, in the
building’s construction and, later, in the yearly life cycle of the dining hall.