Venezia (VE), Italia

Design Group E. Della Valentina & E. Sifrer

ACTV (VELA) Company has the need to improve the welcoming, the orientation, information and sales services for the visitor of the city. ACTV has four agencies: Lido

The design team is made up by Enrico Della Valentina, Venetian Naval Architect working in The Netherlands, and Erik Sifrer, Slovenian Designer. The combination of different point of views, experiences and opinions have merged in the project we have pleasure in presenting you!

ACTV (VELA) Company has the need to improve the welcoming, the orientation, information and sales services for the visitor of the city. ACTV has four agencies: Lido

CRITERIA AND SOLUTIONS FOR THE DESIGN OF THE STANDARD PIER

ACTV (VELA) Company has the need to improve the welcoming, the orientation, information and sales services for the visitor of the city. ACTV has four agencies: P.le Roma

The main criteria for the design of the standard pier – or floating pontoon – can be summarised in: safety, flexibility, urban integration, and environmental awareness.

ACTV (VELA) Company has the need to improve the welcoming, the orientation, information and sales services for the visitor of the city. ACTV has four agencies: S.Marco

Safety is the first important issue that was kept in mind during the development of the design. The ACTVs choice to let the existing piers be approved by RINA is a clear sign of no-compromises for passengers safety. Issues like reserve of buoyancy, stability, free board (minimum 0.2 m) with 4 passengers per square meter are considered in the selection of the piers main dimensions:

ACTV (VELA) Company has the need to improve the welcoming, the orientation, information and sales services for the visitor of the city. ACTV has four agencies: S.Marco

Length over all: 17 m

Moulded breadth: 6 m

Height (of floating pontoon): 1.3 m

The detailed list of the material for the different elements of the design will be too tedious; it is important to mention that all chosen materials will contribute in creating a comfortable waiting area, friendly maintenance operations, durability, performance improvement, cost effectiveness and easy-to-build. Main philosophy is to create a special waiting environment with help of roof wave concept which is represented by organically shaped profiles. This structure works as wing which protects user from sunlight and rain. Besides roundly shaped transparent walls work as a wind protection and define the interior waiting area. The main support of roof is made of steel pipes which are connected to the platform and serve for draining.

The harmonisation of the ticket office with the pier is based on a traditional Venetian figure: the Gondolier Hat (Il cappello del Gondoliere). The main requirements of flexibility, integration with the pier, provide clearly different services

Flexibility is the second important characteristics of the design. The possibility to produce the piers in series is both an important economical and logistic aspect. Piers are located in several areas of Venice and its islands depending on the local needs. In order to answer with a better service the different requirements, two layouts are proposed:

The main criteria for the design of the standard pier - or floating pontoon - can be summarised in: safety, flexibility, urban integration, and environmental awareness.

Layout 1 for piers in strategic locations as P.le Roma, S.Marco, etc:

ACTV (VELA) Company has the need to improve the welcoming, the orientation, information and sales services for the visitor of the city. ACTV has four agencies: Ferrovia

The piers based in key locations must separate the flows of passengers and guide them in the selection of the most appropriate line. The following characteristics will contribute to a better service:

Separation of passengers flows between locals (Venetians, commuters) and tourists. In the same pier different waterbuses lines can operate for different type of passengers.

Increased width of entrance bridge (2.5 m) and exit bridge (2 m) for quicker boarding operations and facilitate wheelchairs manoeuvres.

The areas for locals are restricted at the entrance by card-automatic gate and by an internal separation of the waiting area.

Flat screens at the ceiling of the boarding areas and signs on the ground indicate direction and time schedule of the next waterbuses.

Layout 2 for piers in non-strategic locations and islands:

Non-strategic locations serve mainly local passengers and a limited amount of tourists. In order to increase quality and variety of the services, the following features are proposed:

Separated and safe boarding areas for taxis and special boats transporting wheelchairs at the lateral side of the pier. The new available mooring areas can be offered to taxi companies, prior the payment of a contribution.

Common waiting area for all passengers.

Flat screens at the ceiling of the boarding areas, signs on the ground and a minor separation at the boarding area explain the direction and schedule of the waterbuses

Two other important aspects of the design are the urban integration and the environmental awareness. They contribute to harmonise the design itself with the uniqueness of the city style, and to help solving some local issues like the wave wash (moto ondoso), the extensive use of wooden poles for mooring systems and the lack of safe boarding areas for boats transporting wheelchairs.

Two special solutions are proposed to reduce the impact of wave wash caused by traffic on water: each pier will be equipped with wave damping systems that dissipate the energy contained in the waves by means of passive, inclined ramps on the three watersides of the pier. The system self-compensates for the different draughts of the pier according to the amount of passengers in the waiting area.

The second solution reduces the wave motion and the underwater erosion at the source: an electro-magnetic system on board of the waterbuses keeps the boats in position during the boarding operations without the need of additional propulsion. The system is designed in a way not to change the usual approaching operations of the waterbuss crew: the magnets will be automatically activated only when the waterbus is moored and the boarding gate is open.

No electricity whatsoever will run through the pier. The bollards onboard of the pier will be equipped with a passive steel plate at the waterside in order to complete the magnetic system.

The initial investment will be paid back by the reduction of consumptions and an invaluable lower impact on the environment (fewer emissions. Various electro-magnetic systems are already in use in several cities on water with profit.

The use of wooden poles for mooring purposes is a traditional practice in Venice. Recently some attempts have been done in replacing the wooden poles with plastic ones. The piers mooring system proposed in this design is made up of two lubricated pistons mechanism with cardan joints, integrated in two beams under the boarding bridges. The beams are at a certain angle in order to be more efficient in keeping the pier in position under the effects of different type of loads: water tide, currents, wind, and incidental loads like a waterbus bumping into the pier during approaching manoeuvre.

CRITERIA AND SOLUTIONS FOR THE DESIGN OF THE STANDARD TICKET OFFICE

The ticket office is the first point of information for many visitors of Venice. It must be easily recognisable and offer what the passenger looks for in the clearest way:

Location and information

Price of the services

Direction of waterbuses

Time schedule

The key services provided by the ticket office are: the purchase of tickets (not only for ACTV but also for VENICE, BIENNALE, etc.), the distribution of information and the separation of the passenger streams. By means of flat screens and clear signs in different languages, passenger will be guided to the proper embarking area. Each front desk clearly states which services are provide.

In order to facilitate the purchase of the ticket for the locals, each ticket office will be equipped with an automatic machine working in two ways: during the day it will be reserved only for Venetians in haste so they can quickly buy one-way tickets (all other types of tickets can still be purchased at the front desk!). During the night, when the operators are not working, the same machine can provide all type of tickets: both for tourists and locals.

From the outside the ticket office has a cylindrical shape with an external roof in Plexiglas sustained by tensors. Roof can be angled back for quick rainwater drainage. For more efficiency there are also settable tensors. On the top of the angled roof round sun collector is located. As well there is a pipe for rainwater draining which goes through the back of interior cabin. The diameter of the ticket office can be increased according to the amount of operators working in that specific location.

The comfort of the operators is of primary importance for the delivery of good services.

The working area must be pleasant and well equipped; the following items are included in each ticket office:

The entire structure is not only watertight in case of exceptional high water, but the entire floor is elevated from the ground level

All the windows are free to tilt until a certain extend in order to facilitate the air exchange although some forced air system will be used

Access / control alarm system

Telephone / fax and VHF

Integrated heating and air conditioning system (with air quality control)

Fire extinguisher and first aid kit

Wardrobe

Outdoor protected LCD information screens connected to a remote server

Information boards located outside the ticket office, above the sales point, where the ticket rates can be shown

Access to data and electrical lines. Although each ticket office will be equipped with solar panels on the roof integrated in the structure; there will be a municipality electric line box for continuity reasons

Each workstation has room enough to locate the required tools:

Small slot for the exchange of tickets/cash

Internal-external microphone-speaker system

PC including standard A4 printer with an additional one (small) for receipts

Prices display

Electronic payments device (POS)

Reinforced personal compartments (30 x 40 x 30 or proportional to the amount of operators)

Foot rest

Ergonomic adjustable chair

Cash box in easy to access and safe place

Two drawers for A4 paper and leaflets

At least two A4 size boards where information concerning sales modalities, rules and regulations can be displayed

Comfortable working areas for the operators contribute to the delivery of premium quality services.

CRITERIA AND SOLUTIONS FOR THE DESIGN OF THE AGENCIES

ACTV (VELA) Company has the need to improve the welcoming, the orientation, information and sales services for the visitor of the city. ACTV has four agencies in four strategic locations: Piazzale Roma, Ferrovia, San Marco / San Zaccaria and Lido. These agencies are located at the main entrances of the city and they are responsible of the first impression on the welcoming abilities of the city itself. For better recognition of the city of Venice and the ACTV as well as for more efficient production all four agencies have the same design. Modular design besides simple multiplication of structure enables easily adjustments of space according to different services which ACTV (VELA) Company provides and according to the surface available.

A new marketing choice of ACTV requires that the agencies will provide, in addition to the services of a ticket office, the selling of merchandising items (gift, post cards, T-shirts, books, etc) and special tickets for events such as Venice theatre and Venice Biennale. The design focuses on one single module but multiple units can be easily combined together.

The same agency needs to provide different services; that is why a single unit is subdivided in two different areas: the internal and the external. When purchasing a book or a T-shirt, the clients might want to walk around an exposition area and have the possibility to ask questions to a shop assistant, not behind a window; for this reason the shopping area is inside the agency with the staff behind desks. The outside areas are reserved for the purchase of tickets, delivery of information and orientation services.

The agency recalls the wavy form of the roof of the pier and the pillars resemble the poles (bricole) marking the channels in Venice. The roof represents light aluminium organic structure with recognizable shape and spiral raster. It is angled back towards the sea. Rainwater is being collected in the back and quickly drains off through pipes. Because of the proper water draining it also reminds of form of fin that hangs above the cube. The front and the back walls of the agency are mainly transparent in order to increase the visibility of the products and the transparency of the internal space. External space design gives the feeling of waiting between pillars and is divided to ticket, information and merchandising area. Flat screens and signs will guide the visitors in the selection of the services they require. Special attention has been paid when evaluating the urban areas for the location of the agencies:

1. P.le Roma:

The agency in P.le Roma is responsible for the delivery of services for ACTV both on the water and on the road. Another peculiar characteristic is that the agency is located very close to the new bridge on the Canal Grande connecting P.le Roma with the train station. The integration with the newborn urban area is of primary importance: the project team believe the proposed design of the agency perfectly matches the new style and that the location of the existing agency should not change. The agency in P.le Roma should delegate the delivery of the services concerning ACTV on water (Ticket, pass abbonamento, line information) to the several ticket offices integrated with the piers in that area.

2. Ferrovia:

Although it is only a matter of definition, the actual agency at the train station looks more like a regular ticket office then a representative agency and its actual location is not suitable.

Internal organization and external appearance of the agency is the same as the agency at P. le Roma. Considering that:

The existing agency is not well recognisable at a first glace getting out the train station

The agency is too close to the church in a narrow area

The agency and the piers are very close to the taxis station with potential danger for the manoeuvring of waterbuses and taxis

The new bridge on the Canal Grande will slightly people towards P.le Roma.

3. S. Zaccaria / S. Marco:

San Marco is certainly Venice biggest attraction and it is located at the centre of the waterbus lines system. There are several places where the agency could be located but one in particular is recommended: taking into account the seasonal pick of tourist coming to Venice with seasonal lines (for example Motonave) from Jesolo, the proposed location is S. Zaccaria. The design of the agency is suitable for both lateral and longitudinal distributions: Internal organization of agency is the same as P. le Roma, but roof structure is rotated for 90 deg., according to the pier. This is important because the structures where the Motonave stops are developed more in length then in width). Another small agency (two operators) could be located at the entrance of the group of piers in front of Calle Delle Razze serving several lines. In S. Marco there are many other waterbus stops but in those locations big ticket offices are more appropriate.

4. Lido

As in P.le Roma, the agency in Lido provides services for transportation both on the road and on water. Integrated in the existing agency there are some offices, changing rooms for ACTV staff and newspaper shops. Thanks to the flexibility of the design of the agency here presented, some units can be dedicated to personnel and some others subcontracted for other purposes. It is recommended to develop the agency alongside the pier including all waterbus lines. The use of a big central screen (as in several train stations) and properly located signs on each pier (simply named with letters A, B, C, etc.), will guide the passengers in the selection of the most suitable line.

Europaconcorsi Beta

Design Group E. Della Valentina & E. Sifrer