Study Abroad Center, Rome

PLAYING WITH TIME USING THE IDEAS BEHIND SCAFFOLDING TO DESIGN A STUDY ABROAD CENTER IN THE CENTER OF ROME

The site, “Piazza of the Gypsies� was a triangular open space, divided in two by a retaining wall and nine foot difference in elevation.

It was surrounded by thin streets, badly parked cars and a bricolage of bright stucco facades. In summer, the site was very hot. A visit to the near-by gelato site was necessary.

The design would have to deal with the heat of summer, providing both shade and sun.

The piazza was an important part of the community that would need to be retained in some way.

Diagram of pace: Pedestrians move quickly through streets but slow down at the upper part of the site

Italian hand gestures - an integral part of the culture and communication in Rome - inspired the feeling of spaces in the design.

The grace and movement of the body and hand influenced the way materials come together and light enters the spaces.

Early designs concentrated on the tectonic of pasta on a fork. This became very literal, losing the complexity of my understanding of Rome. I realized I had to think more abstractly.

Scaffolding holds up ruins at the Baths of Caracalla It was upon visiting Sant’Andrea al Quirinale - a small circular church in Rome which was under construction at the time - that I realized the impact of scaffolding on Rome. The tiny church seemed to change scale when filled with metal bars, platforms, and tiny stairs. It reminded me of Piranesi’s Carceri etchings.

Scaffolding is the only new construction in Rome. It plays many roles in the city: holding up ruins, boosting workers fixing facades, framing views, obstructing view or access.

Scaffolding was the perfect vehicle through which to design a new building in the center of Rome. It would allow me to change scale, vary opacity, and use the existing facades of the city as walls.

Sant’Andrea al Quirinale

San Pietro cleaning

Sant’Ivo reconstruction

After returning from Rome, I departed from such literal metaphor and concentrated on how I could use a construction based on the forms of scaffolding to create different types of spaces. The organization and feeling of spaces remained within these next iterations, although the design changed dramatically.

Soldered model

This concept model explored how poles and planes affect spatial experiences.

Scaffolding is the only new construction within the old city of Rome.

Scaffolding takes a temporary yet surprisingly permanent role in the architecture of the city. The tectonics and transparency of scaffolding inspire this design. Simultaneous openness and blockage of steel framing invites Romans in without interrupting the privacy of the students.

The Design retains the space of the existing piazza and places half of the boiling summer piazza in shade.

A “moon-viewing room� between the lower and first level staircase reminds the student how far and also how close they are from friends and family.

Personal Studios on the roof peek up over nearby buildings to get a view of the Roman skyline and contribute to the bricolage of the city.

Triangular windows shaped by the X give views through and out of the building.

One must enter intermediate exterior spaces when moving from room to room.

WHAT I LEARNED: -To use one method of construction to shape spaces with different feelings and uses -To be inspired by ideas rather than use them literally -To design a building -�You have to pursue, pursue, pursue...�-Max Roach