PRESTON CONAWAY

ARCH 3553 Fall 2023

Viewing Vicenza

In the proposal, the Architecture follows Andrea Palladio’s pattern of urban respect by adopting the facades and corners from the existing context with major rooms remaining in the ideal proportions. The proposal responds to the Basilica with its use of bays and the idea of the mask. 

The gallery with its triple volume space houses a model of the city of Vicenza with the cardo and decamantus aligned with the major axis of the proposal. Palladio’s models can then be inserted into the site allowing visitors to see his impact on the city and its architecture. The ground floor is made of glass and delicately held up by steel framing, allowing the visitor to see a second city model beneath the city, which presents the ancient Roman encampment.

The program is defined by an acute angle developed from the edge of the basilica and the urban context. These major leading lines develop a thick wall condition that houses circulation and service space. The ground floor and central atrium are open air with circulation and viewing being conditioned space. 

Palladio’s use of the colossal order in the Loggia Del Capitano invites the proposal to celebrate structure in response. A steel structural frame is projected from the mapping of the Palladian architecture, with floor levels and structural members at key points of the Loggia del Capiano’s facade.

The proposal’s facade is lined with brise soleil to best capture the southwestern light and passively cool the building. Being a transparent box, this is vital to the sustainability of the proposal. The rooftop houses a courtyard where the visitor can look down into the building and see the model at a greater height.

Defining Space

In the proposal, the architecture preserves the Sutro Bath Ruins, while making the visitor aware of what once stood. The datum wall and ambulatories define the building's footprint, while the garden inferences the original structure.

Visitors enter the site through revitalized desire paths, where they are immediately faced with the orthogonal geometry of the datum wall. Accessibility is provided with the underground elevator that follows the original precession of the site.

The elevated walkway guides the visitor along the less accessible parts of the ruins and ultimately leads to an observatory tower that sits on the rock island. The tower serves as a point of refuge with a sculptural moment contrasting from the otherwise strict orthogonal geometry. The footprint of the tower relates to the garden and atriums while taking the movement of a twist.

The visitor can choose to enter the datum wall on its intersection where the clubhouse and its program are within the earth. A museum with outdoor atriums also is also located here with its use of bays relating back to the original baths. 

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