The ambition of the master plan for the new « Città della Scienza » is to transform the military district into a self-sufficient urban ecosystem. The project aims at becoming an example of new urbanization placing great emphasis on sustainability.
In addition to building functions and visual appeal, it encourages the promotion of sustainable design, low carbon transportation, renewable energies, automation technologies, and new green building materials.
Inspired by the Land Art, the eco-district makes itself metabolic, fertile and creative! Facades are covered of free edible plants and become like epidermises, intelligent, self-regenerational and organic.
Roofs and balconies become new grounds of a green city. The orchards and food gardens are not placed side by side with the new buildings anymore, they are the buildings of this eco-masterplan!
To adapt form to function, to bet on biodiversity, to program the multi-functionality, to encourage multi-culture and self-management, these are the keys of an urban and social success to initiate the symbiosis within the couple « Human-Nature » in Roma !
The area is crucial in the process of regeneration of the urban area centered on the axis of via Guido Reni linking the MAXXI and the Auditorium in the North of Roma.
It seems appropriated to build the project proposal combining the memory of the original urban fabric of the neighborhood with innovative eco-responsible lifestyles. It results in a new organization of the site with a strong green footprint that regenerates his military past and articulates the green architecture features.
The master plan offers contemporary large public spaces and a dynamic social mix presenting high values in terms of urban centrality and connectivity between the different identities and cultural spots of the district.
The six fundamental principles of the design are as following:
1. Correlation with the context and the industrial history
2. Articulation of various public spaces, building types and architectural languages
3. Flexible and multi-functional urban spaces
4. Cityscape full of trees (“trees of shadow and harmony” – l. Sciascia)
5. Bio-sustainability of urban plants and buildings
6. Social mix of dwelling units
This project has been studied in collaboration with the two following Roman agencies: COFFICE- studio di architettura e urbanistica and Studio d’Architettura Briguglio Morales under the supervision of Prof. Ing. Paolo Colarossi. Source by Vincent Callebaut Architectures.
Location: Rome, Italy
Group leader: Paolo Colarossi
Project Team: Vincent Callebaut, Giuseppe Imbesi, Coffice Francesco Colarossi, Luisa Saracino, Fabio Briguglio, Massimiliano Foffo, Paola Nicoletta Imbesi, Andrea Morales, Annunziata Paolino, Francesco Rubeo, Marco Maria Sambo.
Supervisor: Prof. Ing. Paolo Colarossi
Type: International Master Planning & Architectural Competition
Budget: 270 Million Euros
Area: 86000.0 sqm
Images: Courtesy of Vincent Callebaut Architectures
