A former tubing warehouse where industry meets the sea

Operated by shipbuilder Fincantieri in Porto Marghera, this multi-story former tubing warehouse is a classic example of architecture for the shipbuilding industry.

Created as highly functional components of a bigger manufacturing machine, the structures within naval arsenals anticipated modern factories. And this is especially true in Venice. This vision of a building as a machine inspired this design by Gruppo FON Architetti, built by contractor Costruzioni Generali Basso.

The new volume, designed for storing materials for building cruise ships, measures 131 m in length, 45 m in width, and 18 m in height, providing over 23,000 m² of warehousing space. Logistics are fundamental to the facility’s operation, with goods delivered to a receiving area on the eastern side of the building and then moved by elevators and cranes to maximize efficiency and minimize staging delays.

The design team addressed the challenge of creating a building without lateral openings by using metal louver cladding and ventilation chimneys. To ensure adequate fire safety levels, the building itself is made of pre-cast concrete elements. An additional fire protection measure transforms the passive ventilation system into an active smoke extraction system.

Besides the functional aspects, the design of the warehouse merges into the industrial landscape of Porto Marghera, characterized by the bright colors of cranes and warehouses, and the adjacent sea. The choice of colors for the concrete panels wasn’t random, but reflects the tones of the sun on the water, with a color palette that features an ever-shifting sequence of blue, red, orange, and yellow.

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