Location

Rome, the Eternal City of antiquity, remains one of the most celebrated cities in the world.  The city, its streets, buildings and piazzas have evolved from small settlements built on volcanic hills and ridges set on marshy planes near the Tiber River to a world-renowned city.  By means of large-scale architecture/engineering efforts beginning with the draining of the valley wetlands by means of the great cloachae, the hilly terrain was leveled, whole ridges cut away and gentle slopes formed in the place of abrupt cliffs. This process of filling in the terrain has continued with layers and layers of new structures gradually being built on the accumulations of the past or squeezed into and around still functioning monuments and buildings.

Today there are over four million inhabitants living in metropolitan Rome and two and half million in the city center.  While many more visitors arrive each year to experience its rich heritage of art and architecture as well as its vital urban life and cultural institutions, Romans actively use their city and take pride in its architecture with a very sensitive eye on design from street structures to buildings and interiors.  In Rome, students will study past and present, old and new, traditional and modern, at various scales and extract lessons to be applied for the design studio.

Studio Facilities
The program uses the University of Washington’s Rome Center housed in the beautifully restored Palazzo Pio, located at the Campo dei Fiori, a bustling historic marketplace.  Studio space, a library, a computer laboratory and a student lounge overlooking the Campo will serve as the home base for the program.  The Palazzo Pio is located within easy reach of Rome’s most famous landmarks.  For additional information on the UW Rome Center, visit their web page at http://depts.washington.edu/roma/.

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