Thursday 14 May 2009

Palatine Archaeological Centre, Rome

Project Introduction

This project started by investigating the popular tourist destinations of the Roman Forum and the Palatine Hill. The latter is much less visited in comparison, perhaps the necessary journey to ascend the hill daunts many visitors, similarly; the lack of any well-known 'site-seeing' monuments that await visitor’s upon the hill means that many choose not to go on and explore the fascinating grounds.

Another great shame is that much of the site is inaccessible to any ambulant or disabled users. The Palatine Hill once accommodated one of the most complex arrangements of architectural space known to civilisation; surely it’s not too ambitious to think that this site could now become accessible to all?

The Master Plan looks to reinvent the Palatine Hill, give new merit to its visit whilst opening up some levels to the public, giving it back to the people of Rome. The scheme centralises around an area in the heart of the hill, an area which links the underground networks together and allows visitors to choose how to experience the Palatine. The space itself is a large excavation, built from the process of preserving some of the roman ruins. Modern technology is displayed in its performance, suspending fragments of the ruins, allowing visitors to view and interact with the archaeology in unprecedented ways.

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