
]]]] >]] > Southern ambulatories of the Colosseum. Image © Simona Murrone, Parco archeologico del Colosseo Share Facebook Twitter Mail Pinterest Whatsapp Or https://www.archdaily.com/1039745/stefano-boeri-interiors-restores-southern-ambulatory-areas-of-the-colosseum-in-rome!.?.!The southern ambulatory of the Colosseum in Rome has been restored through an intervention led by Stefano Boeri Interiors, a multidisciplinary studio founded by architects Stefano Boeri and Giorgio Donà, for the Parco Archeologico del Colosseo, concentrating on the restoration of the crepidine and the repaving of missing out on areas to reinstate the monolith’s initial ground levels and enhance the legibility of its southern border. The job develops on a historical examination project that notified both the geometric meaning of the intervention and its material expression.
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+ 7 Southern ambulatories of the Colosseum, archaeological area. Image © Simona Murrone, Parco archeologico del Colosseo The works focus on the southern exterior in between arches 60-76 and 1-18, where the initial crepidine, still noticeable on the northern side, had been lost, and reintroduce this double border action through a regulated lowering of the surrounding piazza by roughly one meter, permitting the reemergence of its percentages and restoring the relationship in between the amphitheatre and the adjacent public space. As noted by Stefano Boeri, the intervention”restored the perception of the monument’s initial scale and pavement level,”while enabling visitors to approach the structure more directly and comprehend the sequence of the ambulatory and its arches. This recalibration of levels, based upon archaeological findings and geometric research studies, also enabled the reorganization of the stormwater drain system, integrating surface slopes and shifts into the paving design while keeping coherence with the monolith’s historic configuration. The project, therefore, combines spatial remediation with technical modifications that respond to both the website’s current conditions and its historical logic. Southern ambulatories of the Colosseum. Image © Simona Murrone, Parco archeologico del Colosseo Extending throughout approximately 3,130 square meters, the brand-new paving system analyzes the Colosseum’s radial geometry through a modern design of trapezoidal travertine slabs, organized in rotating bands that react to the curvature of the crepidine while aligning with the axes of the arches to assist motion and reinforce spatial orientation. The surface incorporates regular modules along with settlement strips to accommodate geometric variations, while using Classic Travertine guarantees continuity with the material character of the monument and distinguishes the intervention from the surrounding cobblestone paving.
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The project likewise presents a series of integrated components that trace the footprint of disappeared structures along the southern exterior, combining raised components that function as seating with flush markers defined by textured finishes that suggest circulation paths without interrupting pedestrian circulation. In parallel, the design makes sure accessibility through the insertion of ramps at key points along the path, allowing visitors to browse level distinctions presented by the restoration while incorporating these elements into the general spatial configuration.
Southern ambulatories of the Colosseum, Northern crepedine. Image © Simona Murrone, Parco archeologico del Colosseo Southern ambulatories of the Colosseum. Image © Simona Murrone, Parco archeologico del Colosseo In between arches 65 and 71, the paving is interrupted to create an archaeological window that exposes the monolith’s foundations and stratifications, where the excavation border is defined by tuff blocks and secured with metal profiles and glass railings, making sure both visibility and reversibility. As Giorgio Donà discusses, the intervention “brings back the Colosseum’s initial levels and reconstructs its ancient base,”while the abstraction of missing out on elements permits the former system of access routes to be comprehended. The intervention also renews the numbering of the arches along the southern facade, which had actually been lost following the collapse of the ambulatory, by inscribing progressive numbers onto devoted travertine pieces aligned with the entryways, based on references from the preserved northern side. The intervention restores the southern ambulatory as a constant, available public area, where historical research study and design strategies work together to clarify the Colosseum’s original footprint and its relationship with the surrounding piazza.
Southern ambulatories of the Colosseum. Image © Simona Murrone, Parco archeologico del Colosseo
In related developments in Roman architecture, David Chipperfield Architects has provided a proposal to bring back and reinterpret a Roman theater in Brescia, Italy, mixing conservation with modern style. Meanwhile, recent excavations in Fano have exposed the basilica described by Vitruvius in De Architectura, a discovery of exceptional importance, as it stands as the just known structure that can be definitively credited to the well known Roman architect.