The Reincarnated Campidoglio

Abstract

“Architecture and urbanism in everything,” “the outside is always an inside” (Le Corbusier, 1929). It implies a possibility of integrating architecture and open urban spatiality as a single concept. Architectural space (building interior) and urban space are related to one another. Architecture is coming out of the making of an interior – a room. Urbanism also begins by making an interior felt as a sense of rapport between building interiors and urban spaces. A street is “a community room by agreement” (Kahn, 1971). It is an urban interior. A square is also an open aesthetic interior by agreement of community. It is the same system of meanings in building interiors as much as “a house is a little city.” (Alberti, 1452). This paper explores the destroyed Campidoglio (Rome), the reincarnated genius loci, and the brilliant design of Michelangelo through the documentations. The first site this paper traces is the lost meanings of the Campidoglio. The second site it investigates is the visualizing of the Campidoglio’s broken genius loci. The third site it deals with is the contextual rationale between the Campidoglio and the city, Rome. Lastly, this paper presumes the possible principles for the design methods of urban interiors especially in relation to the (re)materializing of the lost genius loci.