Levante Beach Masterplan – Bibione

The project area of ​​this proposal is the Levante beach in Bibione, located in the City of S. Michele al Tagliamento, in the north-west of the province of Venice. It is an area characterized by an interesting natural vocation, it has an extensive Pinewood bordering the agricultural area and an interesting and unique wetland called “Lama di Revelino”. The system of the mouth of the river Tagliamento is, along the valleys and pine forests, the area of ​​greatest environmental interest and beauty of this location.
1 – ACCESS: The project aims to identify new points of access to the Pinewood and other paths leading to the mouth of the Tagliamento in order to facilitate entry to the entire natural area. A very important action is the proposal to shift the dedicated access for the beach cleaning that cuts the area of the “Lama di Revelino” with a ramp that overtakes the defense wall, causing degradation and limiting the free flow of water inside the wetland.
2 – FENCE OF THE STATE PROPERTY AREA: The state area is bounded by a mesh fence which crosses the “Lama di Revelino”. Since the intervention aims to redevelop the entire wetland, an area of great natural interest for the diversity of vegetation and wildlife, it is necessary to move or remove the sign of the existing fence. A design possibility is to replace it with a sign that could have less visual and physical impact for the users, making it almost transparent to the flow of water,plants and animal species.
3 – LAMA DI REVELINO: The “Lama di Revelino” is a wetland located in a depression of the beach, connected to the sea by an ephemeral vent that opens and closes depending on the coastal dynamics and, sometimes, of mechanical interventions aimed to prevent its swamping. In the present situation there is the need to protect the beach, avoiding that a large amounts of sediment lay down because of the overwash, and to manage the evolution of the area by increasing its environmental value.
4 – PATH ALONG THE DEFENSE WALL: The defense wall against storm surges strongly delimits the separation of the “Lama di Revelino” from the farms and the Pinewood behind, but it can also be seen as an opportunity and not simply as a breaking sign or a mere object to guard the territory. The project proposes to regenerate it and to change its role creating a path along the wall itself, that leads the users in the heart of the Pinewood, up to the lighthouse at the mouth of the Tagliamento river.
The pedestrian and cycle path can be placed at different heights depending on the development of the wall: this shall be used to determine a discovery of the wetland from differen, privileged points of view, without conflicting with the protected space, but enjoying its beauty and uniqueness.
5 – THE PINEWOOD: The pine forest is very degraded, especially near the shoreline, due to the erosive action of the sea and marine aerosol burning specimens that rise over the dunes, now consumed by the action of wind and water. It is necessary to first restore the umbilical dune, which allows to protect the Pinewood, which shall then be requalified by the planting of new trees. Irremediably damaged trees may be used, together with the plant material carried by the river on the beach, as consolidation material of the dunes to protect the pine forest behind. These dunes may be planted with the suitable vegetation, so as to bring them back to a stable situation to allow the maintenance and the natural movement of the dunes.
6 – THE LIGHTHOUSE: The lighthouse “Punta Tagliamento” and the area of ​​its relevance have been abandoned since long time, but are place at a point of particular interest, being located on the eastern dune cordon, with a vantage point on the mouth of the river, the sea, both the beaches of Bibione and Lignano. For this reason, the project proposes a renovation of the lighthouse and assigns it for recreation, information and private offices, with special care to the local tradition and to the agricultural and natural vocation of the place. The area around the building will retain a characteristic of anthropization stronger than the natural condition of the surrounding dunes, becoming a more formal garden open to the public, as well as the Lighthouse itself.
7 – PANORAMIC POINTS AND PATH: The umbilical eastern dune overlooking the mouth of the river, has a better condition than the dunes facing the sea. Through the vegetation is possible to find some paths that require maintenance and that shall become part of a wider network of footpaths linking the Pinewood with the coast and the dune system. This shall give visitors some privileged points of view on the estuary and the possibility to discover in depth the vegetational system typical of the area.
8 – BREAKWATER BARRIER ON THE ESTUARY: The breakwater barrier designed to protect the dune system, on the east side of the lighthouse, were built to remedy the severe erosion of the beach by the river. The debris deposited between the ballast have produced the formation of a new beach along the Tagliamento riverside, but at the same time have built up a gap between the earth and the sea, which alters the relationship between man and water. It is therefore proposed to build a raised path, which takes advantage of the position of the breakwater to recover the initial relationship between the two sides and to give users the opportunity to discover and experience again the estuary of the river.
9 – PIER: The possibility to create a nautical point of call for tourists who want to visit the Pinewood and the lighthouse is concrete and is possible whether the port shall be a safe berth at least for the duration of the visit. It shall be located near the area of ​​interest, but it might be repaired, in particular from the ordeal of Bora, and should not penalize the nautical traffic along the mouth of the river.