Entre ouvrages d'architecture et d'ingénierie : réflexions sur le MoSE et le système de barrières pour sauver Venise

The existence of Venice is closely linked to the phenomenon of high water, which over the centuries has reached exceptional peaks, causing enormous damage not only to the historical city but to the entire Venetian archipelago and its lagoon. "L'acqua granda", the exceptional high-water event of 1966, in which the tide reached the highest level in history with + 194 cm, is a phenomenon that is now recurring, and from the 2000s to the present day it has been happening more frequently than in the past. The most recent event that has put Venice at risk is the high water in November 2019, which marks another historic peak, i.e.+184 cm. After a tortuous path of some 20 years between the design and construction phases, among controversy and work stoppages, the MoSE officially enters into operation in November 2022, which avoided a new high-water disaster on 22 November 2022. The realisation of the MoSE engaged not only engineers, but a group of architects from the Università Iuav di Venezia to carry out the study for the architectural and landscape design of the mobile works at the lagoon inlets. The assignment provided an important opportunity to rethink and enhance fragile coastal territories.