A Roman Convergence

The site at Parco Celio is surrounded by some of Rome’s most highly charged context - the Colosseum and Roman Forum to the north, the Circus Maximus to the south and sits neatly opposite the Palatine Hill. Using axes to connect these monumental nodes across the site, this project acts as a reorienting device, allowing visitors to experience Rome’s artefacts and monuments through the convergence of massing and functions. The building is the focal point of the site, sitting at the intersection of these axes and expressed formally through the intersection of two slabs and a clay brick core, within a polycarbonate rotunda. Each mass houses a distinct program, centred around the 1:250 model of Rome and underground anastylosis chambers. The core serves various functions at the different levels of the rotunda, including an amphitheatre, reconstruction labs and display of the Torlonia busts.