A Roman Palazzo

FOLLOWING THE TRADITIONAL ROMAN TYPOLOGY OF THE URBAN PALAZZO, this design proposes a mixed-use building on the northern end of Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, with spaces to house shops, apartments, and an academy. The palazzo fills a gap in the urban fabric of the street, occupying a former bus stop and breaking an unnecessarily large urban void into smaller human-scaled spaces: a piazza facing the church of San Giovanni Battista dei Fiorentini and a smaller piazzetta with shops and dining.

The plan negotiates a tight site, presenting a wide street façade which preserves the scale of its neighbors while tapering to a much smaller rear façade to the south which defers to the church it faces. The building is organized around a central courtyard which admits southern light into the core of the building. A terrace at the southern end of the building breaks down the massing of the palazzo and provides a small recreational and garden space. Below the terrace is an apse screened by columns, housing a cafe which overlooks the piazza.

The primary entry sequence concludes with an elegant double-height library reading room for the members of the academy. At the center of the library is a fresco depicting a scene from the Iliad. Library stacks are provided in rooms across the hallway along the western arm of the palazzo.