Looks like gondolas are out, and bam!’s greenery-filled outdoor rooms for Venice are in! Chosen out of 201 proposals from all five continents by a judging panel that included Bjarke Ingels of BIG Architects, the winning design of the Venice CityVision 2011 Design Competition aims to restore the relationship between Venetians and their famous canals. bam!’s vision included the sustainable use of the canals as well as filling them with floating pod rooms that can be used in any number of ways.

These concave floating structures are large rooms that float on the canals. They can be used for art workshops, as small allotments or gardens for residents, or even as transitional dwellings for starving artists! Instead of sitting on the waterside looking out, residents can enjoy their city from the canals that are currently dominated by tourists on gondolas. They are fresh, organic, and gift the waterways back to their rightful owners: the Venetians.

+ bam!