Ave Maria is a river barge that sails from the mouth of the Po River, along the South Veneto region waterway up to the Adriatic Sea. It follows from the water the cycle lane going up the canals, turning itself in a moving hotel which accompanying step by step the tourists march. The design of the boat was specifically conceived do be adaptable to the landing place, passages, dams which constitute the value and the course distinctive features.
The sustainability of the project took shape at two different scales: one on a territorial dimension employing local factories along the route between Mantua and Venice. On a smaller scale, a series of technical solutions lends the project a sustainability profile: excellent insulation, the exclusive use of LED illumination, and a heat recovery ventilation system all contribute to minimize energy expenditure.
Ave Maria is the first river ship in Italy built following the new European safety prescriptions certified by Bureau Veritas.
Ave Maria was born from the hull of a disused river-boat used to dredge the canals constructed in 1972.
The first phase in the barge's renewal began with reshaping and restoring the hull and assembling a new internal iron plate structure designed to accommodate the functional parts of the project.
The final result is a 41 meter-long and 7.5-meter wide ship. The embarcation deck, which also serve as cycle parking, leads to the interior of the boat: one side leads to the first cabin block, and on the other side to the kitchen and the hall, a large common space which, using a dynamic interior system, reconfigures according to the room's activities from mess hall to lounge space.
All the cabins below decks have also been designed to modify their features: the beds, specifically conceived for these spaces, can all be converted into bunks; each single bed can be matched with an other to make a double one, and every single cabin can turn in a double. The upper deck also turns into a panoramic point using a flexible railing, tables and sunshade.
