Chedworth Roman Villa
Introduction
This project seized the opportunity to offer an entirely new experience of one of the most important stretches of Roman mosaics in Northern Europe. Our innovative approach involved replacing the existing and inadequate Victorian shelters with a new conservation and visitor shelter over the west range of this internationally significant Roman villa in rural Gloucestershire, England.
Background
Until the 1860s, Chedworth Roman villa lay dormant and undiscovered under a mass of earth and shrouded by a forest. The extraordinary remains of one of the most complete (and today most visited) domestic Roman sites in Northern Europe were discovered when a dog digging for a ferret brought tesserae mosaic fragments to the surface. Subsequently it was presented to the public as a heritage site in Victorian Britain, one of the earliest examples of such interpretation. The internationally significant legacy of occupation dating back over eighteen hundred years can still be found in the two kilometres of Roman walls, fourteen breath-taking stretches of intricate mosaic floors and hypocausts (underfloor heating systems).
Need for change
Until the realisation of this project, the site had changed little in a hundred and fifty years. The Victorian sheds that covered two ends of the villa ruins, which were intended for protection and presentation, had failed to arrest the processes of decay. Access for visitors was limited to those who were able to climb the timber steps to catch glimpses of the remarkable archaeology through small windows. Plastic tents, erected for emergency protection had slowly begun to dominate the site and large stretches of mosaics had been covered with tarmac to prevent further deterioration of the ruin. In short, the protection was failing and the visitor experience was falling well below 21st century needs and the ambitions of its owner and protector (the National Trust).
The Building
Our formal and material approach to the new building was inspired by the strength of the rural setting, the need to provide a technically stable environment for the beautiful mosaics and remains of the villa, along with our conviction that the archaeological heritage should remain the star of the show. The main aim of the design was to enhance the legibility of the many layers of this Roman and Victorian site by adding a discreet but confidently 21st century backdrop to the archaeology.
Reversibility: The new building sits lightly on the Roman foundations. As it spreads its weight evenly across the existing walls through a rhythm of optimally sized timber frames, it is held in place principally by its own self-weight. There are no fixings into the Roman masonry of the villa. Assembled from a kit of parts, it can be easily demounted or adapted as future interpretation and conservation practices change.
Scale: The wrapped volume is intentionally neutral and abstract in appearance but, in scale, interprets the outline of the original building, enclosing one side of a courtyard. The suppression of domestic details beneath a unifying timber ‘veil’ helps to achieve the elegant and simple background to understand Roman heritage without distraction. Internally the scale of Roman spaces is recreated but in no sense is this a restoration of a Roman building. Rather, the new building celebrates the relationship between old and new, a gentle nod of appreciation from one to the other. The new shelter allows important archaeology, including one of the longest mosaic pavements in Britain, to be unearthed and revealed to public view for the first time.
Experience: The new building and suspended walkways push the boundaries of the conventional ‘museum’ typology by allowing visitors to walk only inches above the floor mosaics in the footsteps of their Roman ancestors. This creates a uniquely intimate experience of archaeology, more conventionally viewed from afar.
Materiality: Materials are carefully selected and locally sourced to weather together, with the seasons and in to the landscape, using English Larch grown on the National Trust’s own estate. As time passes, the building will become more like an extension of the surrounding forest. As well as their low embodied energy characteristics, the use of natural materials was important to reflect and integrate with the remoteness of the site, which is rich in diverse ecology, fauna and flora.
Sustainability: The site is located ‘off grid’ with no incoming mains water, drainage or gas supply. Stability and control of the conservation environment is achieved through louvred natural ventilation and a precise conservation heating strategy. Heating is derived from new air source heat pumps to keep the archaeology within optimum relative humidity and temperatures ranges. Water is provided from boreholes and harvested from the roof of the new shelter for re-use. The precise shape of the timber sliding shutters on the front elevation have been designed to exclude direct sunlight from the mosaics surface, whilst allowing light to penetrate in to the building, and provide views that connect the villa’s interior to its landscape setting. This consequently gives the building a dynamic quality as if outwardly breathing and responding to the changing external environment.
Summary
The new building at Chedworth has more than fulfilled its potential. The project has opened up opportunities for education, community involvement and exemplary care of heritage for the next generation. The new shelter offers a light touch and provides a calm but beautiful framework to allow visitors to focus on the Roman monument itself and to see more of it than ever before.
Awards
WAF (World Architecture Festival) Awards – shortlisted
RIBA National Award 2013
CPRE (Campaign to Protect Rural England) Gloucestershire Awards 2012
