The project presents a floating pavilion conceived in an iceberg and, revealed through melting, finally maturing as it reaches Piazza San Marco in Venice.
The selected iceberg may be either tabular or pinnacle, though it must have a stable centre of gravity. This carrier berg must be spotted close enough to Newfoundland to allow the transportation of excavators, carvers, sculptors, concrete workers, tin bashers, and carpenters.
A natural melt-water tunnel will be the basic giver of form to the vessel. The tunnel floor will be operated on by traditional Inuit and Indian carvers, working with chain saws, axes, chisels, and picks, to reflect the forms of their native cultures and in response to the magical environment of the ice cave itself. A layer of concrete will be applied over the entire floor and partly up the sides to from walls. Sheets of heavy gauge copper, which are anchored into the ice above, form the ceiling which is then supported by wood purlins and primary concrete beams.
The carrier berg, which will eventually give birth to the floating pavilion, journeys slowly, incognito across the Atlantic Ocean. The pavilion will only be revealed as the vessel, shedding a pool of fresh water, reaches Piazza San Marco. This surrounding pool of fresh water, the remnant of the carrier berg, will cause the entire craft to glow slightly in the murky waters of the Lagoon.
(From competitor's text)
