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When one experiences the narrow streets and public squares of Venice it can appear as though the voids are sculpted and cut from the very mass of built form. It is this feature that we have explored in our project Excavate Habitate. We see the architectural expression as a subtractive activity rather than the addititive quality of typicall architectural practise. The ground plane becomes the datum line which is left as a realm of park landscape with the streets and squares carved out below. The remaining earthen mass becomes the basis for building both materially and structurally, allowing the town to fade away simply by being filled in. The town prioritizes the pedestrian with the central square and outer activity nodes being linked by an urban tram system. The town hall building is located at the cardinal centre of the town where the major transport routes meet. Acting as a signifier and unifying element it is the only building visible from everywhere in the town.