Rise, Galleria Borghese

A gem of Rome, the Galleria Borghese houses famous sculptures like David, Apollo and Daphne and, The Rape of Proserpina. The value of the Galleria is in the artworks it houses rather than the architecture of the Galleria. The aim of the intervention is to Raise the value of the architecture by putting the Galleria Borghese on a pedestal. The approach is a sensitive one that does not disrupt the original architecture of the Galleria. Rather, interventions were done in the gardens on the front and back of the Galleria.

Concept Diagram

The Blind Experience

Exploded Axonometric of Wall Feature for the Visually Impaired
Integrating features for the Visually Impaired was one of the anchors of our designs. Predictable floor plans and guiding textures were incorporated in the design of the gallery spaces. An undulating texture for the walls were analyzed and designed computationally – having a curve at hip-level to ensure the Visually Impaired can move through the spaces and a sin-wave to give depth to the design and provide a treat for the eyes, to engage both the Visually Impaired and Unimpaired.

Several down-sized models of the interventions and walls were created to give the Visually Impaired an idea of how the programs are curated. Life-sized model of David’s arm was plaster-casted to allow the Visually Impaired to experience how the actual sculptures were sculpted by the great Lorenzo Bernini.