Leisure Harbor

Regardless of one’s origins, everyone is somehow fascinated by harbors.  

The sound of the siren, the pungent salty smell in fall foggy nights, the rumble of the wind and the roaring of the waves in turbulent winter days. There are numerous nuances that connote seashores. Yet, there is a constant touch of mystery when cities immerse in the sea. There is always a sense of tenderness when waves are tamed.    

For centuries, harbors have been more than places. They have been the scene of adventures, a jumble of cultures and oddities of all kinds. They have been the place where memories become stories, stories turn into legends and legends often become myths. In times forged by the industry, the race to the space and the rumble of shuttles, harbors seem to be outdated places that are frequently desolate or heavily industrialized. They are now severed from the cities they once used to liven up as cultural epicenters and beating hearts.  

What is the role of harbors in the web and smartphone era then?    

This is the question Leisure Harbor aims to answer. This is the competition by BT and Marina di Loano to define the future of harbors by redesigning one of the 10 most important marinas of Europe. It is indeed a remarkable opportunity to rediscover harbors as lively places, city epicenters overlooking the sea and privileged cultural and social places.

Harbors are the place of the soul and not just nautical infrastructures; harbors are the beginning and the end of the most outstanding adventures. 

The current world has indeed moved its barycenter. Great explorations are not carried out with compasses or sails billowed by the wind anymore. Yet, now more than ever the world needs dreams. Now more than ever the world needs beauty and a return to nature. In this sense, harbors are an extraordinary opportunity. Harbors are the place of the soul and not just nautical infrastructures. This is because harbors are the beginning and the end of the most outstanding adventures. This is also because harbors are the most recent expression of the atavistic impulse to the unknown that roars and will always roar behind the rational composure of all times.

Yac thanks all the architects who will take part in this challenge.