Archinect - News

Mayor-less Rome's logistical battle to invest in its past and present

2015-12-21T17:43:00-05:00

While some residents may be more concerned about their overflowing rubbish bins than maintaining ancient monuments, for many the survival of modern Rome will depend on the preservation of the past.

As Rome moves forward without a mayor, the city is taking on the restoration of both the Colosseum and the Porta Maggiore basilica while updating the modern city.

More about Rome on Archinect:

Was Rome really a "City of Marble"?

A breakneck tour of contemporary architecture in Rome

Contemporary Art in an 8th-Century Roman Church

Turkey says newly discovered Basilica in Lake İznik will become underwater museum

2015-04-10T13:38:00-04:00

The remains of a nearly 1,600-year-old basilica that was discovered at the beginning of last year under Lake İznik in the northwestern province of Bursa is now set to become an underwater museum. The underwater museum project, approved by the Culture and Tourism Ministry, will be carried out by the Bursa Metropolitan Municipality, the sponsor of the project. [...] The discovery of the basilica was named as one of top 10 discoveries of 2014 by the Ar-chaeological Institute of America.

"Sagrada: The Mystery of Creation" showcases the collaborative efforts to finish Gaudí's towering basilica

2015-04-02T13:25:00-04:00

“What makes [the project] exceptional is the reduction of authorship to a team,” says the architect Mark Burry in Sagrada: The Mystery of Creation, a new film by Stefan Haupt documenting the history, present, and future of perhaps the world’s most famous construction site: the Sagrada Família in Barcelona. Premiering Friday at the Laemmle's Playhouse 7 in Pasadena, the film is a thoughtful, slow-paced consideration of the Antoni Gaudí-designed basilica that has taken over a century to build. In an era in which the architect and their oeuvre often seem to overshadow the singular work itself, the film stands out as a study of various individuals who have, in many cases, devoted their entire lives to a project that they may never see completed.

Paralleling the deferral of authorship by Gaudí, those currently involved in the project appear uniquely devoted to the larger project, even at the expense of their own exposure. Almost like a stage play, the film introduces a series of character...