Our NAVE Project reimagines the “Darsena di Città” (City HArbour) as a new platform for culture and community. Resting lightly along the canal, the building recalls the form of a ship moored to the quay: a contemporary vessel built from rusted steel, timber and glass. Its sleek, trapezoidal hull hovers above the ground, creating a sense of suspension and lightness, as if caught between the reflection of water and the horizon of the city.

The project draws from Ravenna’s maritime legacy, transforming industrial memory into architectural identity. The result is a place where heritage and innovation navigate side by side: an emblem of the city’s ongoing dialogue between land and sea.

A Hull of Steel, Wood and Glass 

Inspired by the nearby Fabbrica di Concimi (also called The Wooden Basilica), affectionately known as the “Basilica di Legno,” the project pays homage to Ravenna’s heritage of timber craftsmanship. Its exposed wooden frame and trapezoidal geometry reinterpret the archetype of the great industrial hall, transforming it into a civic space animated by light and community. The repetition of structural ribs, visible through the transparent envelope, recalls the skeleton of a vessel under construction.Beneath the suspended hull, shaded public areas invite people to gather, blending the built form with the natural setting of the Darsena. A native tree preserved at the core of the building rises through a glass cylinder, anchoring the architecture to the ground while symbolically connecting earth, water, and air.

Architecture of Light

The facade acts as a luminous skin that reveals the wooden interior, turning structure into architecture. Parametricly studied metal screens filter sunlight, casting soft, ever-changing shadows that animate the building throughout the day. At its prow, a panoramic terrace opens toward the Adriatic horizon; at the stern, another terrace faces the city and the Port Authority headquarters. These dual viewpoints embody the project’s essence — a constant exchange between land and sea, between tradition and innovation.

Inside, a triple-height atrium unfolds as the heart of the composition, where the timber frame becomes a spatial protagonist. The auditorium opens toward the city as a civic stage, while above it, a bright bistrot encircles the preserved tree, offering views over the canal. NAVE is designed as a fluid, open structure: a space for movement, collaboration, and shared experience.

Structure and Sustainability

Constructed entirely in laminated timber, NAVE  combines lightness, strength, and speed of assembly. The wooden system ensures seismic safety while reducing embodied carbon, making the structure both efficient and expressive. The building is LEED Ready, integrating high-efficiency HVAC systems with natural CO₂ refrigerant, photovoltaic panels on the roof, and advanced lighting and water management. Its bioclimatic facades, passive design strategies, and renewable energy systems all contribute to a sustainable, future-proof identity rooted in the material honesty of wood.

‍Credits

Project developed in collaboration with: S+D Engineering SRL (Structural Engineers), ADES Engineering (MEP Engineers, Fire Regulations), Daniele Arasi (Safety Coordinator), Geotech Srl (Geologist), Arch. Claudia Ponzo (Responsible for Integration)

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