Art Gallery - Courtyard Level
Addition seen from Courtyard of Palazzina Colombo
Second Floor Plan
Ground Floor Plan
Above is a solution to a design sketch problem I was given in Rome. I worked with mi amica Jenny to document a historic "Palazzina" (basically a small apartment building) in a luxurious neighborhood in the hills of Rome. The Palazzina Colombo, designed by famous Italian architect Mario Ridolfi, is a beautifully kept building from the early period of Italian Rationalism (late 1930's). After the documentation process, we were asked to design an addition to the building that included a studio, gallery, and apartment for a resident artist.
The glass gallery has a street entrance on a commercial road with a ramp that brings guests into the rear courtyard of the palazzina, which is also intended as an entrance for the residents. The gallery is seen as a continuation of the courtyard, providing the residents with ever-changing scenery. The more solid, concrete volume of the artist's apartment and studio uses existing walls from an outdated original laundry facility. The living areas gradually step over the gallery to create a connection between the two programmatically different spaces. The roof terrace serves as an outdoor studio, or just as a place for the resident to relax.
The live/work condition seen here is actually based on an ancient Roman idea where the store owner would live in a lofted mezzanine level above his shop. This addition was specifically designed to be respectful of the original architecture of the building, while also being practical for a contemporary artist or gallery owner.
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