weak linkages between components Initially Venice was established on solid ground, but by the end of the fourteenth century it had advanced over unstable ground with poor bearing capacity. The traditional foundation system consists of piles (a, above) of water-resistant wood such as oak, larch or pine, buried deep in the ground, reaching past the weak layers of silt and dirt and anchoring the building directly into the solid layer of hard clay caranto . The number of piles consolidated the ground by increasing its density and thereby giving greater stability. Stones and rock thrown in between the piles kept the silt from rising up during subsequent pilings. Two layers of wood were added to the top of the piles which is where the masonry starts. These masonry bearing walls (a) are primarily positioned perpendicular to the canal. The outer walls facing the water are clad with an Istrian stone barrier possessing an unique combination of strength, water resistance and pliability. The floor structure (b) which connects the bearing walls horizontally, is constructed of wood. This light and elastic material accommodates change in the geometry of the building without breaking, allowing the bearing components to settle and shift freely – assimilating the unstable ground.
Metal tie rods (c) penetrate the perimeter walls, parallel to the water, preventing them from collapsing outwards; they are fixed to the floor-structure (b) . This linkage provides a systematic failure to link the inner bearing walls (a) and perimeter framework (d) , which allows each individual part to move in relation to the others adjusting to the intricate balance of forces and processes of subsidence and gravity, the daily rise and fall of tides and abrasion caused by vortexes from motor boats and the great number of tourists visiting every year. The roof (e) is also constructed of wood and functions as the lid of a box, stabilising all the other components.
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above: a taxonomy of components – the building as a weak box, stabilised by the interaction of bearing walls with a dense thicket of piles, floor structures, facade, screen walls, interpenetrating elements such as stairwells, held at the top by a wood-framed roof.
facing page, top: investigative model, Sotoportego composed by the façade, floor structures and bearing walls. Sotoportego is one of the most characteristic urban elements in Venice. It is a connecting passage between alleyways and other roadways, formed directly in the body of a building as a section removed from the ground floor, as wide as it is high.
The second model investigates spaces established by the
perpendicular arrangement of bearing walls and roof structures.
2 Rasmussen, Steen Eiler. Experiencing Architecture. Cambridge MA: MIT Press, 1964.
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