Fabrizia Talarico

Degree thesis in Architectural Design

University Campus of Aerospace Engineering on Via Salaria

Thesis by Fabrizia Talarico
Contact email: fabriziatal@hotmail.it
University of Rome "La Sapienza"
"Valle Giulia" Faculty of Architecture
Speaker: Prof. Alfonso Giancotti
Co-rapporteur: Arch. Manlio Amadio
A.A. 2011 - 2012

The area under study is located in Rome in the fourth town hall, inside the ring road, between via Salaria and one of the three Roman airports: the Urbe airport.
It extends for 50,000 square meters and its largest side runs along Via Salaria for 500 m.
The building inside is fragmented and in a state of neglect, only a few buildings are in good condition and usable and the paths that connect the various parts of the area are hardly visible due to the presence of huge quantities of spontaneous vegetation.
Great emergencies characterize the area: the Tiber river that runs along the large area where the Urbe Airport resides, the airport itself, the Via Salaria and the Rome-Florence railway line. These "limits" have not only created the morphology of the area but have made this area attractive for the location of the many productive activities that are found in it.
Until a few years ago the area under study was occupied only by the "San Marco Research Center", (Institute of the University of Rome "Sapienza", represents the continuation of the San Marco Project, created in 1962, through the which Italy became the third nation in the world to send an artificial satellite into orbit), which used the whole area as a venue for its scientific research.
Over the years various economic and political problems have "forced" the same scientific body to abandon the instruments and buildings because of the huge expenses necessary for their maintenance.
In recent years, the Aerospace Engineering School, previously located in via Eudossiana on Colle Oppio, has moved to this area because it is more suitable for hosting this particular branch of engineering.
In the previous location there were no suitable means for carrying out the activities therefore the transfer to another location was essential.
This move occurred with the intention of creating a university campus suitable for teaching and research activities that students must face in order to achieve their goal.
The current situation, three years after the transfer, is characterized by degradation and abandonment, as the buildings that house the Engineering headquarters, most of which are in disuse or laboratories, are not accessible and usable by the students, who are in uncomfortable situation.
The goal is to design the Aerospace Engineering Campus, which the "SAPIENZA" university had set itself to carry out and the functions necessary for carrying out the multiple activities.