The Archescape : Seeking the Way Out from Within

Abstract

This thesis investigates the archescape (Wallis de Vries, 2014) within the historical center of Rome. The term refers to the point of intersection where architecture meets escape. The primal need for escape from the city’s pressures traditionally suggests fleeing outward to its greater landscape indulging in the qualities of natural elements. Instead, by providing an opportunity to engage with natural features inside the city we then escape through the same structure we flee from. Within the city’s structure are to be found inhabitable fields of the medieval type and transit lines of its modern one. These lines fragment the spontaneous character of the medieval city, imposing a structure of vision and transparency, ironically leading to an unsustainable urban growth. Within the medieval type, flight lines (Wallis de Vries, 2014) can be explored to reach moments of evasion that are connected to the public urban sphere. The lines of flight introduce the archetype of the portico, serving as liaison from urban field to architectural room, the holder of elusive natural elements in the city.