Away from the Maddening Crowds
Team
Name: Phoebe Eddleston
Nationality: Ireland + France
Institution / Company: University College Dublin
–FINALIST of Re-Nature Rome Competition
In a 1958 English cover of Domenico Modugno’s “Nel Blu Dipinto di Blu”, Dean Martin sang “Let’s fly way up to the clouds, away from the maddening crowds”. Central Rome is a major tourist destination with a heavy footfall, making it difficult for humans, let alone for wildlife to escape the crowds of the bustling downtown and to find some peace and quiet. How can we re-integrate natural ecosystems and wildlife habitats into the heart of Rome’s touristic epicentre – the Colosseum – whilst granting them an oasis of calm, a place of refuge away from the maddening crowds? In response to this challenge I have imagined an architectural structure dedicated to non-human species, a design that puts nature and wildlife first. A semi-elliptical “highline” mirroring the ancient amphitheatre’s surviving outer wall supports a vertical forest that is exclusively destined for flora and fauna. At street-level, humans can enjoy spectacular views of the forest from below, take shelter from the rain under a covered walkway, all whilst benefiting from cleaner air and cooler streets.
#VerticalForests #Landmarks #AirQuality #NonHumans #AnimalHabitats
