We introduced the Architectural Association unit 7 students and Samantha Hardingham to the challenges and opportunities of the Arsenale, specifically the northern area.
The interests of the unit were grounded in an appreciation and a delight in the proximities between heavy engineering and ultra-lightweight and information technologies – and what their architectural consequences might be. Parallels were considered between Wallasea Island in Essex (much of which has been reconstructed as a flood barrier and nature reserve with the spoil from the Crossrail tunnel) and Venice, in terms of the barrier project and the underlying political, environmental and social systems that operate in the city. The students were “overwhelmed by the range and complexity of the situation.”
