The project developed by L35 Architects is not limited to a simple modernisation of the historic station, but seeks to improve the user experience by reconnecting the facility with the city while redefining its image and reorganising the spaces and services to adapt them to contemporary needs.
“Stations are being reimagined, evolving from places of passage to places of life. Little by little, they are gradually becoming destinations where people can also come to work, shop, enjoy leisure activities, and meet. The challenge of this project has been to support this transformation while maintaining a respectful balance with its valuable historical legacy.”
Caterina Memeo, Partner Architect at L35 Architects.
The lack of spatial organisation found in the old station was the starting point of the project that allowed us to identify the areas of intervention and turn it into the largest intermodal hub in Italy. Therefore, the project seeks to enhance the clarity of the routes and improve both the orientation of users and functionality, establishing more fluid visual connections between the different levels of the complex.
An ambitious intervention that respects an icon of modern Roman architecture
One of the key points of this intervention was the liberation of views towards the Servian Walls from the main hall. The structure of the façade, the work of architects Eugenio Montuori, Leo Calini and Annibale Vitellozzi, frames a section of the Servian Walls, the oldest wall in Rome, with a large stained glass window.
Nicknamed “the Dinosaur”, the curved geometries that shape the building were originally designed to give continuity to the profiles of the Servian agger found right next to the station. However, over time and due to commercial expansion, this characteristic shape remained hidden, so the reconfiguration of the commercial areas gives users back the visual connection with the Servian Walls by removing the shop that obstructed the view from the atrium.
On the lower floor, the Forum also houses parts of the walls. Through pavements and false ceilings, the project enhances the visual continuity of the wall, together with architectural lighting designed to highlight the archaeological remains preserved and distributed throughout the station.
Optimization and reorganization of spaces
L35 Architects reorganized the different commercial areas and spaces intended for railway services and volumes with pure and dynamic forms, clearly differentiated from the architectural container, which favored fluidity and clarity in the routes. In addition, the proposal gave prominence to railway services, relocating ticket sales, lounges and customer service to the central island of the station, thus improving its visibility from the atrium, the gallery and the platforms.
“The materiality and architectural composition of the new elements have been kept simple, avoiding added complexity in a building already enriched by multiple interventions over time. The project's expressiveness comes from a clear material and compositional logic, where glass and metal interact with the finishes and tones of the historical preexistence.”
Caterina Memeo, Partner Architect at L35 Architects.
The volumes of the commercial areas in the Dinosaurio and the Gommata Gallery are grouped into easily identifiable units, seeking to generate an aesthetic unit that highlights the monumental value of the station.
Interventions in the Forum
On the underground floor, the intervention significantly improved the spatial quality through the opening of strategic gaps that allow the passage of natural light to the lower floor, visually connecting it with the Gommata Gallery and expanding the perception of space. Metal slats cover all the spaces of the Forum contributing to the absorption of noise, improving the comfort of users in such a busy and therefore noisy station.
The station, despite being made up of multiple buildings and commercial areas, is now perceived as a coherent and unified whole, which has not only been updated, but has also revalued its historical and architectural heritage. Visitors, who previously might have perceived a fragmentation in the spaces, now enjoy a continuous and harmonious experience in direct contact with the history of the city.
