Archinect - News

The Colosseum in Rome opens its ancient Hypogeum to the public for the first time

2021-06-30T14:59:00-04:00

A newly restored Hypogeum has been unveiled in Rome over the weekend, opening the catacombs of the famed Colosseum to the public for the first time in its 2,000-year history.

The Italian Ministry of Culture has announced that the little-seen section is finally open thanks to a decades-long restoration project funded in part by a $29.8 million gift from fashion brand Tod’s.

Planned on a whim at the end of the first century AD, the Colosseum was the last great project under Emperor Vespasian and incorporated a labyrinth-like, wood-covered underground area (added under Emperor Domitian) used as a multi-purpose space by the building's grounds crew and as barracks and staging area for gladiators. Just like the ancient fighters, who were meant to be hidden as they entered the arena floor through a series of tunnels, visitors are now free to explore.

The Colosseum’s final Venatio came in ...

Take a look at the newly unveiled high-tech floor for the Colosseum arena in Rome

2021-05-03T17:03:00-04:00

The floor of Rome’s Colosseum, where gladiators once fought against each other and wild animals, is set to be restored to its former glory. Milan Ingegneria, a structural engineering and architecture firm, has won an €18.5m (£16m) bid to build and install a retractable arena floor that will allow visitors “to see the majesty of the monument” from its centre, culture minister Dario Franceschini said on Sunday.

Plans for the arena floor restoration of the Roman Colosseum (completed in AD80 under Emperor Titus) first appeared on Archinect in January.

Concept for the new Colosseum arena floor. Video via MiC_Italia on YouTube.

Milan Ingegneria's concept of a retractable arena floor allows the structure to be flexible and easily removed again should the need arise. If construction goes according to plan, the new attraction will open in 2023.

A €10 million project will be offered to the designer who can recreate the original Colosseum arena floor in Rome

2021-01-12T12:39:00-05:00

The Italian culture ministry is offering the €10 million project to the designer who can turn the clock back 2,000 years to when 35,000 Romans bayed for blood in the ancient stadium.

According to The Times, "Italy is looking for a brilliant engineer to reinstall the Colosseum arena floor, complete with trapdoors and the hidden lifts that allowed wild animals to leap out and menace gladiators."

Previously on Archinect: Mayor-less Rome's logistical battle to invest in its past and present

"We want to give an idea of how it was and we are seeking proposals from around the world," said Alfonsina Russo, director of the Colosseum, as reported by The Times.