Rome Auditorium
At the end of 2002 Rome fulfilled its 60-year-old dream of building an international music venue.
The work began in 1997 but took five long years to complete – partly because of the delicate archaeological nature of the excavation of the site. The foundations of a Roman villa, which were a surprise find, were incorporated into architect Renzo Piano's scheme, and are visible inside the underground foyer which provides access to the three concert halls.
The new venue is in the Flaminio district of Rome, near to the sports centre by Pier Luigi Nervi. The three halls, variously described as 'beetles' or 'upturned mandolins', are surrounded by a large green area which opens out into the amphitheatre. This is considered the fulcrum of the structure, and it can also be used as an additional open-air hall for shows and performances, with capacity for 3,000 people. It is known as the Parco della Musica and sits at the foot of Villa Glori, creating an effect reminiscent of the ruins in Piranesi's prints; a metaphor of classical antiquity. The individual halls have been designed for specific, independent purposes, as is reflected in their design.
Visitors to the centre will be struck by the majestic nature of the building but, as so often in Renzo Piano's recent works, also by the strong symbolic connotations of meaning. The shapes of the three halls are indeed similar to the sound boxes of three mandolins. Indirectly, it is like looking at a still life byBaschenis in which Villa Glori plays the part of Flemish-style vegetables, and the bridge building, which links the three main halls, that of the table with a linen table cloth.
The choice of the materials also recalls and reinterprets the past. Terracotta, American cherry hardwood, lead and stone were specified, and the architect has exploited their various structural, ornamental and expressive potential. While the exterior plays on the organic nature of the sheet metal covered by the lead shell resting on the stone base and the greenery, internally Piano combines functional rationality and expressive poeticism.
Timber is used extensively inside the concert halls. The use of wood meets specific acoustic requirements and also promotes a cocooning environment. Here a 'soft' interior (in psychological but definitely not physical terms) is provided by the warmth of American cherry. This choice of material also addresses the need for a style which refers to the past to reintroduce sensations which have built up in time and in the collective memory. Technology is visible but not overriding, almost as if to recapture that domestic aspect, which is a traditional feature of historical Italian theatres. The wooden structures of the Olympic Theatre in Vicenza or Farnese Theatre in Parma, effectively adopted by Piano in the new Niccolò Paganini auditorium built in the former
Eridania sugar factory in the same city, are reinterpreted and improved upon here. However, a more precise reference is possibly to the interior of the Bibbiena Theatre in Mantua. The magic created by the warm colour of the stone and the system of mouldings and decorations is reinterpreted here in plain lines and a totally unadorned style. The same values are imparted through the highly expressive potential of the timber. In an interior with a truly minimalist appearance and strong technical content, Piano succeeds in reviving those values and that world of communication which we traditionally associate with a furnished interior or, much more frequently, a highly decorated interior.
The reinterpretation of historical precedents, while keeping in mind various stage-sets of the future, is effective. The single, warm colour of the cherry also creates visual continuity between the various surfaces of the box-like wall structure, eliminating the differences or breaks between floor, walls and ceiling, consequently expanding the space itself.
The choice of wood and the configuration of the various modules call to mind the visible hulls of many historical religious buildings, in which the mastery of the work was on a par with the qualities of the material. The panelling on the walls and ceilings also bear witness to the high quality of the technological detail and the impressive workmanship of the specialist builders, and the constant close assistance and supervision provided by the Renzo Piano Building Workshop.
Each hall is equipped with recording facilities and equipment, with 19 rehearsal rooms of various sizes, while all the facilities of the auditorium are designed to a music centre blueprint. In particular the two recording rooms are designed for excellent acoustic qualities - thanks to the use of mobile elements and acoustic screens, which enable the reverberation times to be adjusted. The acoustics adviser to Piano's architecture studio, Helmut Muller, had already worked on the architect's Lingotto project.
The use of wood provides the perfect acoustic and aesthetic qualities for music-making. American black cherry has good acoustic properties, but it was also specified because it is so tough and easy to manipulate. It's a predictable timber; pliable, resistant to decay and very beautiful.