Unearthing the Eternal City
Team
Name: Xiaolin (Elle) Li
Nationality: China
Institution / Company: Harvard University
Name: Kevin Robishaw
Nationality: United States
Institution / Company: Harvard University
Name: Justin Jones
Nationality: United States
Institution / Company: Harvard University
Name: Jingyuan (Loki) Zhu
Nationality: China
Institution / Company: Harvard University
–EDITORIAL PICK of Re-Nature Rome Competition
We propose an archipelago of wildness – islands of biodiversity connected by elevated pathways – woven into the time-layered fabric of Rome.
We dig back into time, excavating the street to reveal buried cities of the past: the Roman city, the Baroque. Upon reaching the remnants of another era, a terrace is created – a marker in Rome’s long and layered history, the foundation for the emergence of a new city.
Cool water flows through these recessed spaces, creating mini-oases, moments of relief in an increasingly hot city, and micro-climates for people and wildlife. Vegetation layers atop layers of time below. The creation of these spaces is an act of discovery itself.
Connecting and descending into these islands of wildness are elevated corridors, which weave through the city’s streets, bringing a diversity of wildlife from the fringes of Ager Romanus into the heart of the city. The panels which line the corridors rotate at night, connecting the corridors and allowing animals to cross between them. During the day, the panels close, creating pathways for people. The wild and the city are kept separate at times to be connected at others. A biologically diverse future emerges from the palimpsest of Rome’s past.
#Micro-climate #Palimpsest #Heat Relief #Excavation #Terraces & Gardens
