br Project for Trajan s Market

Project for Trajan׳s Market: a short story Trajan׳s Market is a large archeological complex within the city of Rome located on one side of Via dei Fori Imperiali, which connects Piazza Venezia and the Coliseum, and crosses the ruins of Rome׳s Imperial Fora [Figure 1a and b]. Trajan׳s Market was constructed between 100AD and 110AD and was inaugurated in 113AD. This monumental historical structure was supposedly designed by Apollodorus of Damascus, a Greek architect of Trajan׳s retinue to whom the emperor entrusted the design of his Forum. The construction of this historical site was aimed to form a retaining wall against Quirinal Hill. Accordingly, the existing buildings and structures were nestled on the side of the hill forming an exaedra, a semicircular space, to support the ground. Today, Trajan׳s Market houses the Museum of Rome׳s Imperial Fora[Figure 2].
Aims, criteria, and references of the project The primary goal of the project was to provide access to the spaces of Trajan׳s Market, with respect to the existing laws, and to significantly reduce the architectural barriers along the paths that represent the acetylcholine chloride of the archaeological area and the site׳s orography [Figure 3]. This particular design strategy was preferred to restore the original pavements of the site and to obtain flat and smooth surfaces, with specific solutions identified for each situation and requirement. The results of the design process must be carefully coordinated with regard to the homogeneity of materials and the construction techniques to maintain the integrity of the archaeological landscape in terms of colors, different alignments, and perspectives. Each new intervention, either for architectural or preservation concerns, has been designed according to the below principles. The place or palimpsest of Trajan׳s Market was the main reference for the project in terms of urban context and neighboring buildings. The secondary reference was the archeological system of the existing axes, alignments, materials, colors, and volumes. The archeological ruins still underground were also considered in outlining the project. In this event, emerging lines were engraved on the pavement to show the underlying structures. With regard to the orography of the site, different catwalks made of steel and wood were designed to bridge the gaps between different levels. These catwalks could be easily removed when necessary. Meanwhile, the architectural details by Carlo Scarpa and Danilo Guerri were kept as a design reference. The memory of the former walls, today ruins, also suggested the idea of using wooden carpentry during the construction. In this case, the structures in steel and wood were explicitly designed to show their mechanical and temporary nature. In this process, a relationship with Piranesi׳s drawings was implied, particularly the etchings of The Prisons, which clearly exhibits techniques and materials (Piranesi, 1975).
Archeological parterre These interventions were realized to accomplish three main purposes; specifically, to conserve the original pavements, to make the archaeological parterre accessible to visitors and propose the idea of original spaces both inside and outside, and to reveal the underlying traces and alignments of the original structures. Based on these principles, the restoration of the pavement in the area of “Piccolo Emiciclo” was designed, and the uneven alignment of the “basolato” (the large rounded flint stones used by the Romans to pave streets; the road pavements made by the Romans were approximately 50–60cm wide) along the sidewalk of Via Biberatica was adjusted. These projects were realized to restore the original inside–outside conditions of the large space toward Via Salita del Grillo. Three pavement typologies were then adopted to complete the archaeological soil. One typology was made with small fragments of basalt to integrate the “basolato” pathways with elements of the same color and material, but with different dimensions. Such a technique was used to reveal the exterior spaces. The second and third types of pavement were constructed with fragmented bricks that have two different dimensions. The larger dimensions (circa 7–10cm wide) were employed to underline the alignments with the Roman walls that still exist under the floor surface. Meanwhile, the smaller brick fragments were used to fill the original pavement areas and to show the interiors of the archeological buildings.