Campo d’Acqua
A Recreational Oasis in Venice, Italy
B.Arch Thesis | Drexel University
Campo d’Acqua is a floating civic pavilion in Venice that reimagines the traditional campo as a public space on water. Designed as a flexible social platform, it shifts between a lap pool, event stage, and open gathering space, supporting rowing, wellness, dining, and cultural events throughout the year. By merging infrastructure with hospitality, the project creates a new kind of campo: one that adapts to season, program, and the rhythms of the city. A place for locals to build community and find relief from the dense city.
LAGOON
ITALY
VENICE
SITE: ARSENAL
Concept and Process
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Gothic arches of local vernacular inspire the facade and movement of the form
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Labyrinth circulation beneath and throughout the arch system creates an endless experience of discovery
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Overall form of the structure inspired by gondola form as an homage back to the Arsenal shipyard building site and culture of Venice
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Inserting planes create levels of program, like the restaurant whose plane cuts through the form tucking the interior beneath the amphitheater, and the outdoor seating extends to the outside to engage with the center campo
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Intimate moments bring the structure to a human level, like this seating banquette and planters at the base of the structural columns
The lifting of the buildings’ forms were inspired by the shape and buoyancy of the traditional Venetian gondola
Outlook deck underneath lawn, connecting to farmers market below, looking out over the Darsena water
Main double-height lobby with bespoke entry staircase connecting to restaurant above
Full swimming pool and recreational center on ground floor extending out into open air
Restaurant groin vault ceiling descends creating intimate contact with the structure, enclosed with curtain wall
A continuous biking, running, walking promenade circulates around the perimeter of the entire pavilion to provide waterfront activity around the site
The lawn side of the pavilion is an open-air urban park with flexible ground floor space for markets, exercise, gatherings, and an upper floor outlook deck that connects directly to the lawn above
AI-generated conceptual winter season, view from approaching site entrance
AI-generated conceptual restaurant event activation, view from ampitheater
