r e u s e  n y m p h a e u m

competition / honorable mention

with Inka Černić, Magdalena Jurišić & Andrijana Krpeta

2023

The Nymphaeum Genazzano was built in three phases: the first one was composed of roman ruins; in the second one Bramante designed the central building with the loggia and apses; in the third one, the building was enlarged with the two lateral square spaces. It was abandoned soon after its completion, leaving the harmonious and poetic ruins. After a careful thought process, we added a fourth phase in a form of a simple square box inserted into Nymphaeum, still respecting the ruins and their proportions in the landscape. In that way, we have created two theatre areas with different characteristics, one inside of a box, sheltered from the bad weather, and one inside the ruins, with a direct connection to the Nymphaeum and the surrounding garden.

The box inserted into Nymphaeum follows the metric system of the second construction phase. The border of the box is carefully rotated and formed in a way that doesn’t upstage the ruins and creates perfect harmony both in the interior and the exterior. The rotation creates interior scenography that combines the old with the new materiality. Inside the square is an inscribed circle that separates serving and served space. The box includes theatre space with a gallery capable of hosting a hundred people, cashier and wardrobe space, restroom, transformable backstage space, and storage for the inside and outside chairs. The main entrance is an accentuated arch, an hommage to existing ruins.

With the rotation of the box, the exterior is arranged as a part of the park, with direct access to a storage room that can transform it into an open theater for the plays under the stars. There is also a private garden accessible from backstage that can be used as a changing space for the bigger plays. Restrooms are accessible from the interior and exterior, hidden from the views and close to the entrance. The building was part of a garden conceived for spare time, including at least two lakes and a small river, whose path runs next to the loggia. The garden follows the same idea as the metric system, inserting natural elements between the existing trees that can be used in multiple ways, from just relaxing and enjoying nature to performing and reciting poetry.