The studio component to my studio abroad culminated in a group master plan assigment and an individual design expanding upon that exercise. The site, the Gallopatoio, needed to accommodate sporting events, horse shows, concerts, a museum, restaurant and general supporting program. The major features are the stadium area, stables area, and fairgrounds (piazza) area. My design pulled from the master plan ideas and concepts but ultimately was very unique. It uses two grid alignments, one of the parking garage for structure, and the other of the Pincian Gardens for tree locations. Major site lines also defined access and divisions within the site, such as from Porta Pinciana to the Pincian Terrace or from Piazza di Siena.

The specific architecture that I designed in depth is between within the fairgrounds buildings. There are two shapes pulled apart to create a space. This space promotes congregation and is a natural gathering area for events. There are two cores, the museum and the entry hall, which help anchor the two buildings. The rooflines and building profiles accentuate the circulation path cutting across the site. To transition from landscape to architecture, there is an artificial terrace aligned to the grid which uses retaining walls and a series of extruded columns and beams forming a 3D grid. This grid is both structure and ornament; it is a way for the building skin to be independent of structure and to anchor the project.

I enjoyed this project as an avenue for discovering more about design and architecture as it deviates from buildings. So much successful design today focuses on the interstitial spaces of ordinary buildings. Planning, programming, and study of people influence our opinions of ‘good design.’

Programs used: Rhino, Sketchup, Revit, Illustrator, Photoshop