The residential complex is made up of a series of former industrial buildings that had fallen into disuse. They stand joined in 2 rows, one on the north and the other on the south side of an extensive courtyard garden that the buildings look into. Access to the complex is through an archway off Fondamenta San Giobbe. The boundary of the complex is marked, to the east, by this Fondamenta, to the south by Calle Bosello, to the west by a new public square built by the city council, and to the north by Campo Bosello and a number of private bordering properties. The group of buildings was erected during Venice's period of industrial development in the 19th century and retained its manufacturing purpose for about 100 years, albeit in ever-changing guises. It was finally abandoned for good in the '80s. The work to renovate the complex, a fascinating testimony to industrial archaeology, has resulted in the creation of 42 units arranged over three levels: 39 flats ranging in size from 45 to 180 sq.. Currently they are available apartments between 60 and 150 sq.. The main layout adopted for the flats is a duplex arrangement, inspired by the serial nature of the two-storey industrial buildings and by the door and window arrangements on the internal elevations. The two main blocks are made up of individual components with different heights and sizes whose identity, defined by these differing volumes, has been kept intact and integrated in the uniformity of the architectural language. Traditional materials were used for the complex: wooden ceilings and trusses inside, and plaster, stone, tiled roofs and wooden and metal windows and doors outside. |
