NEW OLD PEOPLE'S HOUSE LE ZITELLE - VENEZIA

The name of the new old people’s home in Venice, which was officially opened in June 2008, dates back to the sixteenth century when Venetian noblewomen decided to rescue poor young girls from poverty and the oldest profession in the world. The chosen location was a little off the beaten track, deliberately making it difficult for gallant young men to reach it: three houses along the Fondamenta San Giovanni on the island of Giudecca, which belonged to the Loredan family. At that time the island was dotted with vegetable patches and gardens and the “Casa delle Donzelle” (the name of the hospice for the “fallen” women) was financially dependent on what the large piece of land produced.

Fortunately, the large vegetable garden has survived the ravages of time and still plays an important part in the building’s new role. 

The restoration project has a number of basic aims:

• to establish the complex in the new social and urban setting of the Giudecca;
• to convert the back of the building into the front; to place the rooms which are available to the local people – the meeting room, medical facilities, gym, etc. – near the new front entrance;
• to remain as faithful as possible to the original architectural design of the building, making just a few, but significant, contemporary additions.

The frames are an important part of the new buildings, with horizontal and vertical bands of glazing alternated with spandrel panels, all in painted galvanised steel: the designers opted for the Secco EBE thermal break system for the frames, mindful of the new laws on energy saving.

The frames were supplied by Gelsomino Bacciolo & Figli, a Secco Steel Quality certified company, who worked closely with the Secco Sistemi Steel Technical Center on the technical details of the project, providing the client, designer and contractor with a prestigious product contributing to the quality of the renovated complex.

WORK: New Old People's House Le Zitelle, Giudecca Island, Venice

CLIENT: IRE - Istituzioni di Ricovero e di Educazione

DESIGN: Arch. Franco Mancuso ed Ing. Francesco Bono
FRAME INSTALLER: Gelsomino Bacciolo & Figli - Cavallino Treporti (VE)

FRAMES: EBE in Galvanised Steel