The semi-circular layout of the halls creates a fourth space in the centre, an open-air amphitheater. The discovery of the remains of a Roman villa on the site has made it possible to strengthen the relationship with the place. The vegetation that surrounds the buildings is an extension of the Villa Glori park.
For two reasons, it was decided to locate the new auditorium outside the center.
First, there was no room for such a huge complex in the historic centre of Rome. Also, it made sense to locate it in an area of structures created to handle large flows of people, between the village built to house the athletes for the 1960 Olympics and Pier Luigi Nervi’s Palazzetto dello Sport and Flaminio Stadium. When starting digging on the site, something incredible was found: the foundations of a large Roman villa dating back 2,600 years. It was then necessary not only to preserve them but also making them part of the complex. Therefore, the position of the buildings was redefined and an important part of the project was revised.
The project followed a concept that was not first stipulated in the original terms of the competition: the studio decided not to place the three halls in a single building, but to make them three independent structures.
Thus, each hall is set in a container resembling a giant soundbox, and the three boxes are arranged symmetrically around an empty space. This central space became the fourth auditorium.
Photo credits: Luca Cerabona, Studio Magi