ROMAN FORUM URBAN CONNECTION.
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For the study abroad semester in Rome, the project was quite different than previous semesters. The studio setting for Rome focused much on the understanding of the city through its many layers of history as well as its rich context. This understanding was explored primarily through hand drawing techniques. For the main project of this semester, the studio focused on the historic Papal Route, the Via Papalis which was traveled by each Pope shortly after coming to power. It runs from St. Peter's, through the Roman Forum, and ends at St. John the Lateran. However, over the last couple of centuries, the route has been neglected and nearly forgotten within the fabric of the city. The primary goal of this project is to see how each student proposes to give significance back to the Via Papalis by adding his/her own layer to the palimpsest of the city that informs both the route and the historical context.
This proposal focuses on the section of the Via Papalis which runs through the Roman Forum. Within the past 5-10 years, the local government has made some drastic changes regarding the accessibility of the Roman Forum. Due to continued archaeological digs and financial concerns, parts within the Forum are completely cut off from access. Furthermore, the Forum is no longer a public amenity as it was only five years ago. Now, one has to pay 12 Euros in order to access a section of it. The entrance is along the Via dei Fori Imperiali and located on the middle edge of the Forum. Because of this, any sense of the Via Papalis is completely lost as seen throughout the rest of the city. This severely limits physical and visual access for the public. In addition, the closing of free access to the forum completely divides the east and west sides of the Roman and Imperial Forums limiting pedestrian flow not only for tourists but for locals as well.
In this proposal the focus resides on reconnecting the east and west sides of the Roman Forum through repurposing pre-existing pathways. Beginning with the street that used to pass under the Pantani Arch in the Imperial Forum, this new pathway stretches across the southern portion of the Imperial Forum, across Mussolini’s Via dei Fori Imperiali, and into the Roman Forum alongside the Curia where it meets a risen piazza that overlooks the forum. This area becomes a primary intersection of pedestrian flow from all directions and is transformed into the new entry to the Forum whether it is free access or paid access. This entry is the primary one which aligns directly with the Via Papalis, which is now the primary street within the forum once again.
From this redeveloped piazza, the pathway crosses in front of the Tabularium which is where the Campidoglio senate is also located. Following the forms of the ancient ruin context, the pathway gently steps down alongside the rocky barrier, and flows into a smaller, more intimate piazza where visitors and residents relax. This small piazza also acts as an intermediate intersection of all directions on the east side of the forum. Here, one can take the path in front of the tabularium, or one can choose to continue down the wedged-ramp pathway becomes a pavilion that is inhabited by various programs as well as acts as a secondary entry point into the Roman Forum from the east. This entry point, though not directly on the Via Papalis, connects to pre-existing roads which lead back to the Via Papalis. In addition to reconnecting the east and west sides of the Roman Forum, this pathway does not impose on the Ancient Architecture, but rather enhances and compliments it, as well as add a new layer to this historical palimpsest.
This proposal focuses on the section of the Via Papalis which runs through the Roman Forum. Within the past 5-10 years, the local government has made some drastic changes regarding the accessibility of the Roman Forum. Due to continued archaeological digs and financial concerns, parts within the Forum are completely cut off from access. Furthermore, the Forum is no longer a public amenity as it was only five years ago. Now, one has to pay 12 Euros in order to access a section of it. The entrance is along the Via dei Fori Imperiali and located on the middle edge of the Forum. Because of this, any sense of the Via Papalis is completely lost as seen throughout the rest of the city. This severely limits physical and visual access for the public. In addition, the closing of free access to the forum completely divides the east and west sides of the Roman and Imperial Forums limiting pedestrian flow not only for tourists but for locals as well.
In this proposal the focus resides on reconnecting the east and west sides of the Roman Forum through repurposing pre-existing pathways. Beginning with the street that used to pass under the Pantani Arch in the Imperial Forum, this new pathway stretches across the southern portion of the Imperial Forum, across Mussolini’s Via dei Fori Imperiali, and into the Roman Forum alongside the Curia where it meets a risen piazza that overlooks the forum. This area becomes a primary intersection of pedestrian flow from all directions and is transformed into the new entry to the Forum whether it is free access or paid access. This entry is the primary one which aligns directly with the Via Papalis, which is now the primary street within the forum once again.
From this redeveloped piazza, the pathway crosses in front of the Tabularium which is where the Campidoglio senate is also located. Following the forms of the ancient ruin context, the pathway gently steps down alongside the rocky barrier, and flows into a smaller, more intimate piazza where visitors and residents relax. This small piazza also acts as an intermediate intersection of all directions on the east side of the forum. Here, one can take the path in front of the tabularium, or one can choose to continue down the wedged-ramp pathway becomes a pavilion that is inhabited by various programs as well as acts as a secondary entry point into the Roman Forum from the east. This entry point, though not directly on the Via Papalis, connects to pre-existing roads which lead back to the Via Papalis. In addition to reconnecting the east and west sides of the Roman Forum, this pathway does not impose on the Ancient Architecture, but rather enhances and compliments it, as well as add a new layer to this historical palimpsest.