Acquario Romano

Projects | Restoration

Restructuring and functional adjusting

The “Acquario Romano” is one of the most important buildings in the Esquilino quarter, together with the “Palazzo Brancaccio”, the “Istituto Poligrafo” and the “Zecca di Stato”, the Ambra Jovinelli theatre and the head office of the “Casse Postali di Risparmio”. The building, designed in 1884 by the architect Ettore Bernich, consists of a main body with an elliptical base. The triumphal arch, with its big niche reachable by going up through two wide flights of stairs, is the main entrance of the building. The interiors are characterized by a large elliptical hall with three orders performed in vertical direction, surmounted by a large circular skylight.

The building, designed to be and aquarium, after only three years became a place for entertainment events. From then onwards the building has had different uses, such as public baths facility in 1895, site for counting papers during the 4thcensus in 1900, site for pisciculture, hall for performances, storage site by the City Government in 1930, in the end warehouse for the scenery from the Opera House until 1984, when the Municipality of Rome started the restoration works.

Since 2003 the Municipality and Province of Rome have granted use of the building as the headquarters of the “Casa dell’Architettura”. The project aims at refurbishing the exhibition area and all facilities, adjusting all the systems, demolishing architectural features that deny access to the handicapped and bringing the fire safety system up to standard. As this piece architecture lodges exhibitions and very attractive public events, we had to provided an historical type of building with all the criteria of accessibility and facilities of contemporary buildings.