located on a small island close to the venice port entrance, spignon is an abandoned and partially collapsed lighthouse. within the public call named ‘valore paese fari’ — the title is literally translated as ‘the value of the country’s lighthouses’ — the rome-based studio LAD proposed a renovation project for spignon, which comprises the rebuilding of the collapsed volume and restoration of the existing tower. 

LAD's spignon lighthouse in venice resembles the traditional venetian architecture designboom
the main facade resembles traditional venetian architecture

 

 

LAD’s concept consists of two main points. the first one is the exterior, which refers to the venetian palaces and the big ships construction systems at the same time. if you look at the frontage, the building aims to resemble the typical venetian architecture, such as ca’ d’oro and palazzo ducale, while observing the building from three-quarters, you see an image of the construction of a hull.

LAD's spignon lighthouse in venice resembles the traditional venetian architecture designboom
if you look from three-quarters, the image of a hull construction pops up

 

 

the second point is the interior — it is designed with a flexible plan to make the space adaptable to different uses. the internal walls can be moved, which allows the space to serve as a public value, as well as a private one. due to this system, the building can be divided into different rooms, so it can be used for residential or touristic needs, while when the walls are hidden, the space becomes large enough to host exhibitions and events.

LAD's spignon lighthouse in venice resembles the traditional venetian architecture designboom
the other side of the building

 LAD's spignon lighthouse in venice resembles the traditional venetian architecture designboom
a drawing in paint

Spignon Lighthouse Project from LAD on Vimeo.

video by LAD

LAD's spignon lighthouse in venice resembles the traditional venetian architecture
the existing building

LAD's spignon lighthouse in venice resembles the traditional venetian architecture
the architects’ reflection

LAD's spignon lighthouse in venice resembles the traditional venetian architecture
cross section

LAD's spignon lighthouse in venice resembles the traditional venetian architecture
the ground floor plan

LAD's spignon lighthouse in venice resembles the traditional venetian architecture
the walls system

LAD's spignon lighthouse in venice resembles the traditional venetian architecture   
the project scheme

LAD's spignon lighthouse in venice resembles the traditional venetian architecture
the omparison with the references

LAD's spignon lighthouse in venice resembles the traditional venetian architecture
the view from the lagoon

 

project info:

 

type: lighthouse
competition: valore paese fari, 2th place
location: spignon, venezia (ve)
program: lighthouse accomodation
area: 130 m²
design year: 2016
client: simerg s.r.l.
architecture and interior: LAD – francesco napolitano, simone lanaro
design team: lorenzo pericoli, chiara intreccialagli, serena bruno gallo, alessandro barile, laura fernandez moreno

 

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

 

edited by: maria erman | designboom