Iron Island

name: Iron Island. year:2024. client: young architects competition. situation: finalist

Abandoned industrial sites, particularly offshore oil platforms, possess a haunting beauty, like ancient titans gently reclaimed by time and nature. Once proud symbols of human dominance, these steel giants have found an unexpected second life as sanctuaries for marine creatures, evolving into vibrant artificial coral reefs. This surprising transformation prompts us to reconsider their fate: should we dismantle these costly relics or embrace their newfound role in nurturing biodiversity? The Iron Island competition, organized by Manni, CNR-IRBIM, and YAC, seeks imaginative visions to breathe new life into these platforms off the northern Adriatic Sea, transforming them into symbols of hope and environmental renewal.

melancholy botanical garden

In our design, we explore the complex interplay of natural and historical forces. First, we consider the sea, which is always a place between the known and the forgotten, a place that is not too obvious and not too hidden, which is as familiar as it is strange and must be lost in order to gain it. Then, we consider the oil platform in the sea: an ancient industrial object that was once used and exploited as a savior of politics and the economy in the modern era, and now symbolizes the loss of life on the planet in the contemporary era.

At the heart of our design concept lies a profound exploration of melancholia, a rich emotional state that constantly upsets the temporal boundaries of past, present, and future. Within these repurposed structures, visitors to our designed garden are enveloped in an immersive experience where the fabric of time seems to dissolve, leaving behind a palpable sense of melancholic allure.

Melancholic Communication

As visitors meander through our designed garden, they are encouraged to ponder the complexities of human existence in the Anthropocene —marked by the devastating consequences of human intervention on the planet— and the fragility of the natural world. The ephemeral nature of the Melancholic Garden, evolving with the changing seasons, further enhances the transient essence of melancholia itself, inviting guests to embrace the impermanence of life and the boundless possibilities of transformation.

Melancholic Garden

Through meticulous botanical curation and deliberate design choices, we seek to evoke a sense of enchantment and wonder, inviting guests to immerse themselves in a world where past, present, and future converge in a symphony of melancholic beauty. Ultimately, by focusing on biodiversity protection and innovative use of space, we aim to create a model for the future of sustainable marine architecture that honors the history of oil platforms while looking forward to a greener, more harmonious world.