A tour of Modern Architecture in Rome

After an exciting weekend during which some of us traveled (Milan, Venice, Slovenia) and some of us enjoyed Rome, we have all moved out of our apartments in Trastevere and into the dorms on Piazza Navona. We all miss the space and independence of our apartments, but it's hard to beat the new place in terms of location. Some of the boys have windows onto Piazza Navona, and our courtyard has a great view of the dome of Sant Agnese.

Today our Urban Theory class focused on Modern Buildings in Rome. Our tour guide, Scott Schlimgen, gave us a another great tour (he was our tour guide for the Forum) and we had good discussion about the advantages, contexts, and controversies of construction in Rome.

Our first stop was Richard Mier's Ara Pacis, which was closed up while crews cleaned the fountain (it's already dirty) and set up some sort of fashion display. We discussed how monuments and meaningful spaces are developed, and what makes a place important. It was interesting to learn about the history of the Mausoleum of Augustus, the way it's presence and Mussolini's political agenda influenced the urban fabric, and how the Ara Pacis lines up with (or doesn't) and makes references to its context.


We caught a tram at the Piazza del Popolo out to Piano's Parque della Musica. Scott compared and contrasted the ways that Piano's and Mier's work ages and also how the Parque creates urban space.
The Parque della Musica is situated across the street from the Olympic Village constructed for the Olympic games in the early sixties. The apartments are strongly reminiscent of Corbusier - raised on pilotis, with garden courtyards. I expected to dislike the complex very much, but actually, I was pleasantly suprised. The buildings and grounds were in need of some renovation, but even in a state of slight disrepair, the spaces were still cool, quiet, and pleasant. Not hard, cold, and dead, like I'd expected them to be. Part of their success may be due to the warm climate, but the gardens were shady and the buildings were beautifully detailed, with interesting joints, slippages, and glassed-in spaces at the corners. It was great to see what Corbusier and his followers might have been thinking when they designed their housing blocks.