THE BALCONY OF ROME The Balcony of Rome is a re-imagined pathway that cuts through Palazzo Venezia, at the historic center of Rome. The design is constructed around the famous Mussolini’s balcony, where the Facist leader Benito Mussolini was seen giving speeches from his balcony to the crowd gathered around Piazza Venezia below. Mussolini announced on this particular balcony that Italy is going to World War II on the side of Hitler Germany, and since then the balcony has became an important Facist monument. Mussolini’s balcony served as a podium for the leader’s power play. From this elevated private balcony, not only can Mussolini look down and deliver messages to the crowds below him, he also has a direct view of the colosseum through via del fori Imperiali. This perspective is important as Mussolini consider himself as a kind of new Romen Emperor. The goal of the project is to down play and counteract the meaning and history associated with this Facist monument. To do so, the pathway cuts through Mussolini’s balcony and connect an internal glass tunnel with an external exposed skywalk. The skywalk was divided into two levels to provide maximum public access and viewing. The design took into consideration the exisiting building structures. The pathway consisted of a glass-covered internal section and an exposed external skywalk. The internal section of the pathway includes an exisitng one-directional upward staircase that leads from the first floor to the balcony on the second floor.
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The irregularity in the shape of the skywalk and the fact that it ends face-to-face with the opposite building create a feeling of imbalance and counteract the symmetrical characteristic of Facist architecture. The middle top part of the skywalk is extended outwards like a balcony to maximise the best viewing angle of the colosseum, thus creating a “grander and superior” public balcony that belongs not to a single identity but the city of Rome.
C O R N E L L U N I V E R S I T Y R O M E P R O G R A M : F O U N D AT I O N S I N A R C H I T E C T U R E , S P R I N G 2 0 2 0 / / I N S T R U C T O R : T E S S C L A N C Y
NAME: IVY YING S I T E : M U S S O L I N I ’ S B A L C O N Y AT PA L A Z Z O V E N E Z I A THE BALCONY OF ROME
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Site Photographs and drawings (1) Crowds gathering beneath the balcony (2) Mussolini giving a speech from his balcony (3) Facade details o f P a l a z z o Ve n e z i a ( 4 ) I n t e r i o r o f t h e P a l a z z o Ve n e z i a w h e r e M u s s o l i n i s e t u p h i s o f f i c e ( 5 ) P a l a z z o Ve n e z i a complex and streets from above (6) View of Via del fori Imperiali and the colosseum from the balcony
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C O R N E L L U N I V E R S I T Y R O M E P R O G R A M : F O U N D AT I O N S I N A R C H I T E C T U R E , S P R I N G 2 0 2 0 / / I N S T R U C T O R : T E S S C L A N C Y
NAME: IVY YING SITE: MUSSOLINI’S BALCONY THE BALCONY OF ROME
1455
Construction Begins
The palazzo’s three monumental halls were built then (the Royal Hall, the Concistory Hall, later Battle Hall, and the Globe Hall); and above all, the Viridarium, a porticoed garden at the corner of piazza San Marco and piazza Venezia
1797
Handed to Austria
After the Campoformio Treaty, which marked the end of the Republic of Venice, The building was handed to Austria, which maintained the palazzo’s function as a diplomatic compound
1564
Ownership Change
Palazzo San Marco, [as it was called originally,] was owned by the popes until 1564, when it was given to the Republic of Venice, which set up its embassy in the building.
1910
Enlarge and Replica
Due to the erection of the Monument to Victor Emmanuel II, The Italian Government enlarged the Piazza Venezia and built a replica of the Palazzo Venezia in yellow brick on the opposite side of the square. This building hosts now the offices of the Assiscurazioni Generali di Venezia.
1916
Reclaimed by Italy
Kingdom of Italy reclaimed the building from Austria. The Palazzo Venezia Museum also goes back to 1916, when the building, recovered from Austria, was selected to house a major national museum of medieval and Renaissance art.
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Fascist Headquarter
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The palazzo’s role as a national emblem after it was returned to Italian hands prompted Benito Mussolini, in 1922, to choose it as the headquarters of the fascist government. Mussolini was often filmed making speeches from the balcony of his office in Palazzo Venezia to crowds in the square below.
1940
Declare War
P r o j e c t S i t e P l a n w i t h H i s t o r i c a l Ti m e l i n e Drawing Scale 1:1000 T h e s i t e p l a n s h o w s t h e v i e w f r o m M u s s o l i n i ’s b a l c o n y a t P a l a z z o Ve n e z i a ( r e d ) t o t h e c o l o s s e u m t h r o u g h Via del fori Imperiali, which is constructed as a timeline here to show important historical events regarding this facist monument.
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Mussolini announce on balcony that Italy is going into WWII on the side of Hitler Germany.
C O R N E L L U N I V E R S I T Y R O M E P R O G R A M : F O U N D AT I O N S I N A R C H I T E C T U R E , S P R I N G 2 0 2 0 / / I N S T R U C T O R : T E S S C L A N C Y
NAME: IVY YING SITE: MUSSOLINI’S BALCONY THE BALCONY OF ROME
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Brainstorming ( 1 ) C i r c u l a t i o n s k e t c h o f s t a i r c a s e s ( 2 ) R e f i n e d c i r c u l a t i o n s k e t c h w i t h t h e a d d i t i o n o f a s k y w a l k ( 3 ) S t a i rcase details (4) Skywalk collage with colomns taken from Facist architecture (5)&(6) Different iterations of the pathway design
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C O R N E L L U N I V E R S I T Y R O M E P R O G R A M : F O U N D AT I O N S I N A R C H I T E C T U R E , S P R I N G 2 0 2 0 / / I N S T R U C T O R : T E S S C L A N C Y
NAME: IVY YING SITE: MUSSOLINI’S BALCONY THE BALCONY OF ROME
End of the walkway is parallel to the balcony on the replica building but does not go through the building, creating an interesting perspective and the idea of imbalance.
The walkway design is unsymmetrical in order to stand against the often symmetrical fascist architecture. This extended part of the walkway is inspired by the form of a balcony and it ensures a better view of the colosseum. The railing will mimic that of balcony to create the idea of a superior balcony to Mussolini’s.
Mussolini's balcony will be opened up into an exterior skywalk
One-directional staircase going from ground floor to the second, where Mussolini’s balcony is located.
One-directional staircase going down to a lower level walkway in order to open up the space for more public viewing
Extruded exterior staircase going down to street level to symbolize the stepping down in power. It is important in this design to create only downward staircases from the balcony
Glass tunnel enables viewing of museum displays, the structure can also be opened up into other rooms
Glass covered path inside the building contrasts with the exposed exterior path to differentiate the intervention from original structure
Final Design Rationale A perspective line drawing of the final design I choose with annotation explaining my rationale at different p o i n t s o f t h e p a t h w a y.
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Entrance to the building/museum at Palazzo Venezia through Via del Corso and Via del Plebiscito
C O R N E L L U N I V E R S I T Y R O M E P R O G R A M : F O U N D AT I O N S I N A R C H I T E C T U R E , S P R I N G 2 0 2 0 / / I N S T R U C T O R : T E S S C L A N C Y
NAME: IVY YING SITE: MUSSOLINI’S BALCONY THE BALCONY OF ROME
IMPERIAL FRAGMENTS / FRAGMENTING THE IMPERIAL
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Perspective Drawing P e r s p e c t i v e o f t h e p a t h w a y d e s i g n s h o w i n g b o t h t h e e x t e r i o r a n d i n t e r i o r i n s t a l l a t i o n ( r e d ) a n d h o w i t i n t e racts with the site and people.
C O R N E L L U N I V E R S I T Y R O M E P R O G R A M : F O U N D AT I O N S I N A R C H I T E C T U R E , S P R I N G 2 0 2 0 / / I N S T R U C T O R : T E S S C L A N C Y
NAME: IVY YING SITE: MUSSOLINI’S BALCONY THE BALCONY OF ROME
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Axon Drawing with Diagrams Drawing Scale 1:500 Drawing Description: Axonometric drawing of the design showing scale as well as diagrams depicting the experience at c r i t i c a l p o i n t s o f t h e p a t h w a y.
Floor Plans and Section Drawing Drawing Scale 1:250 Drawing Description: Partial plans of first and second floor of Palazz o Ve n e z i a a n d s e c t i o n d r a w i n g s h o w i n g h o w t h e pathway is installed within the existing structure.
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C O R N E L L U N I V E R S I T Y R O M E P R O G R A M : F O U N D AT I O N S I N A R C H I T E C T U R E , S P R I N G 2 0 2 0 / / I N S T R U C T O R : T E S S C L A N C Y
NAME: IVY YING SITE: MUSSOLINI’S BALCONY THE BALCONY OF ROME