Ball State students are participating in an immersive learning experience that will focus on the redesign of a transportation hub in Venice, Italy.
Architecture professor Michele Chiuini is leading an interdisciplinary group of 40 students from the College of Architecture and Planning, Miller College of Business and College of Applied Science and Technology.
Chiuini said the students are working together to create a solution for Piazzale Roma, a problematic transportation site in Venice.
"They have a lot of transportation systems converging in the area and it has suffered," he said. "The area has not been designed from an architecture or urban design point of view."
Venice collaborated with Ball State because the city wanted external opinions when it came to the area, Chiuini said.
"It will be valuable for the city of Venice to see this [area] designed from new angels and have an idea of things that haven't been considered," he said.
In October, 20 of the 40 students will travel to Venice to gather firsthand information and documentation about the site, analyze various facets of the hub and study the city to better understand its culture, urban form, and planning and construction practices, Chiuini said in a press release.
He said the students will cover the entire cost of the trip minus Ball State's contribution of $250 per student.
Although their plans will not necessarily be used by Venice, the students are getting a good learning opportunity, Chiuini said.
Robert Hunt, Ball State alumnus and CEO of Hunt Construction Group Inc., will serve as the executive-in-residence for the university, interacting with the students as they complete the redesign project.
Chiuini said Hunt plans to return to campus two more times this semester to guide the students through the process and to offer advice and guidance along the way.
By the Numbers:
Students by major
16 urban planning
14 architecture
5 finance
5 construction management
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