Margherissima

Margherissima articulates a wide-ranging new vision for the parcel of contaminated land in Marghera known as “I Pili”. It blends the vocabulary of Venetian architecture with that of its industrial legacy to envision a modern addition to the lagoon. Margherissima proposes a vibrant new neighbourhood alongside the soaring silhouettes of heavy industry on the fringe of the Venetian lagoon. The installation presents a bricolaged model that transforms this vast industrial hinterland into a new district for future citizens of a climate-conscious world. The Venetian municipality of Marghera is undergoing a gradual urban transformation in response to social and climatic change. Home to chemical factories, refineries and an industrial port, it sits within the precarious saltwater ecosystem of the Venetian lagoon, an area under pressure from both rising sea levels and the depopulation of Venice’s historical centre. Amid efforts to deindustrialise Marghera, Margherissima is a speculative proposal for a new piece of smart city that encourages collective living. It articulates a vision for I Pili that is neither utopia nor suburb but instead a provocation, demonstrating how a city might be built around its occupants.