PROJECT _04
A SUBTLE PERMANENCE: MUSEUM & RESEARCH CENTER

Approximately 2.5 million people visit Pompeii each year. Despite the ancient archaeological ruins being one of the worlds most visited sites, it is common for visitors to be completely unaware of the modern city. There exists a blissful ignorance among visitors between the historical and the modern city. The city of Pompei lives in the shadow of its own legacy. The project explores how this legacy can be reinterpreted in a way that preserves, but also unifies, the two periods as a holistic identity.

The urban structure of Pompei informs the design of the project. The piazza and covered path at the entry keep continuity of existing conditions while offering something completely new to both historic and modern Pompei. The design is a subtle yet grounded building with permanence. The building will act as a civic monument and give a new identity to the revitalized entry of the ruins and modern Pompei. 

BUILDING CONCEPT

The building concept is derived from an entry space within the roman domus called an impluvium. This room is set at the front of the house acting as an atrium before entering the private sector of the domus. The separation of program follows this idea by splitting the public and private areas into two separate buildings that act as a whole. The museum and visitor center acts as the impluvium to welcome visitors, while the separated archaeology and research center holds the private program.

P_04 :: Concept.png

  • BUILDING LAYOUT

    The buildings layout is derived from the aforementioned diagram. The archaeology research center is positioned along the main street and is connected to the museum and visitor center by an architectural element. This element turns into a structure resembling a portico around the main piazza. The covered structure continues to the visitor piazza as one proceeds through the visitor center into the ruins of Pompeii.

  • JUXTAPOSITION

    The juxtaposition of the museum and visitor center is justified by the important views surrounding the project site. Each facade has calculated openings framing particular areas of both the modern and historic sites of the cities. The east facade captures the bell tower from Piazza Bartolo Longo in the modern city while the north and west facade captures the amphitheater and extended view of the ruins.

  • PUBLIC + VISITOR PIAZZA

  • COVERED WALKWAY + CIRCULATION

  • VIEWS

Previous

_03
Next

_05