Pierre Cardin cancels Venice skyscraper
News: public and government opposition has forced fashion tycoon Pierre Cardin to cancel plans for his futuristic Venice skyscraper.
Pierre Cardin and his architect nephew Rodrigo Basilicati have axed plans for their 60-storey, three-finned Palais Lumière (Palace of Light) skyscraper, due to criticisms about how the building would fit into the Venetian landscape.
Speaking to Italian media, Basilicati said: "The decision was inevitable after over two years since presenting the initiative we could not get formal approval on a deal with all public bodies involved."
Cardin's Palace of Light was to be built on Venice's mainland in the former industrial area of Porto Marghera and was to boast swimming pools, gardens and ponds on the upper decks and a helipad on the roof.
Opposition and criticism over the glass skyscraper began in 2012. Locals have been concerned over the impact the 245 metre-high structure would have on the Venetian landscape and its medieval city.
"Venetians and Italians are tired of seeing Venice abused by the vast cruise ships and mounting examples of the crudest commercialism," reported Anna Somers Cocks in the Arts Newspaper.
Originally set for a 2015 completion, to coincide with the Milan Universal Exposition, the glass palace was to include housing, hotels, cinemas, restaurants, research centres as well as educational and sports facilities; totalling an area of 250,000 square metres. The skyscraper's three towers and 60 floors were to be connected by six horizontal disks, located 35 metres apart.
Earlier this year, Dezeen reported on Rem Koolhaas' OMA plans to transform a building on Venice's Grand Canal into a department store and public event space. See more architecture in Venice »
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