Bibliotheca Hertziana
Bibliotheca Hertziana – Max Planck Institute for Art History.
A renovation project for the area that was formerly a garden in the Zuccari Palace firstly requires a consideration of the physical roots of this outstanding site. It would be very difficult not to act in accordance with the genius loci that constantly strives to manifest itself and makes itself transparent in any respectful operation.
The site that was previously a terraced garden in the Roman Villa of Lucucllo was generated by the staggered arrangement of the retainer walls on the slopes of the Pincio that descend the south-facing hillside. The formal suggestions of this garden, which would have permitted a unitary vision in this stepped presentation, were an inspiration for the project.
The public entrance to the new library is through the Mascherone portal, a figure which Zuccari was the necessary contrast for the paradisiacal charm that appeared in the view when visitors entered through the gates. Similarly, in this project visitors suddenly comprehend the overall constitution of the library from the same entrance. Now the site seems to metamorphose in a light well with a glazed perimeter and a gently sloping background wall from which the light bounces off and becomes reflected. Staggered terraces are arranged around this central element in a free perimeter, containing the book stocks and the reading rooms. This produces an interior space which, while small, is interesting on account of its vertical progression, its ambient luminosity, and the formal richness of a staggered order with a trapezoidal cross-section.
Each floor is organised with a regular distribution that situates the bookshelves in the area overlooking Via Sistina while the reading areas are in the middle overlooking Via Gregoriana, facing the windows and terraces with their panoramic views of Rome. The top floor holds a silent reading room- a segregated and independent activity from the tall common central space- which also benefits from the top terrace used as a place for rest and enjoyment of the views.
A conventional sloping roof provides the transition from the lowest terrace of the Stroganoff Palace to the top terrace of the Zuccari Palace. This produces easier passage and nuances the leaps in the outline of the Hertziana complex. This roof combined with the skylight elements that provide good lighting for the silent room. The desire to provide variety in the roof level is obvious with the acceptance of the fragmentation and cohabitation of flat terraces and sloping roofs, the appreciation of the typical features of Roman roofs and the provision of an aerial view of the city.
The finishing for the walls that enclose the large central space is exposed brickwork, painted in white. The texture chosen invites to remember the interior of the Glyptothek in Munich. The light shade of the brick treated this way works as a good reflector of the light while dyeing the atmosphere with a warm and bright colour. At the entrance level, the floor will be travertine stone. The paving on the upper levels will be mainly wood. The simple and noble ensemble of finishings, white washed brickworks, stone, wood and books even, as a visible skin, will create a system of materials in a good reciprocal resonance while doing the ambient experience pleasant.
Architect Juan Navarro Baldeweg
CREDITOS
PROYECTO DE REFUNCIONALIZACIÓN GENERAL DEL INSTITUTO MAX PLANCK: Enrico da Gai.
PROYECTO DE RECUPERACIÓN URBANA: Paolo Riccetti (Ciudad de Roma), Enrico Da Gai.
PROYECTO BASICO Y DE EJECUCIÓN: Juan Navarro Baldeweg, Enrico Da Gai.
DIRECCIÓN DE OBRA: Juan Navarro Baldeweg, Enrico Da Gai.
ARQUITECTOS COLABORADORES estudio JNB:
Dirección de obra: Fernando Pino, Verónica Scortecci, Elena Barroso Alonso.
Proyecto Básico y de Ejecución: Carmen Bolívar Montesa, Sibylle Streck, Carolina González Vives, Verónica Scortecci, Fernando Pino, Rafael Pérez Herranz, Ignacio González Galán, Elena Barroso Alonso.
ESTRUCTURAS: Tekno In. Alfredo Marimpietri, Alberto Parducci, Sergio Olivero, Marco Mezzi.
DESARROLLO DE FACHADA DE VIDRIO: Andrea Viganó.
INSTALACIONES: Ufficio tecnico Franz Steiner.
Jaeger Mornhinweg+Partner Ingenieurgesellschaft MbH. SeTi Sas. Corrado Becucci.
