The intervention for FOROF, a new space for art organised by Giovanna Caruso Fendi in Rome, is located in the Roccagiovine palace, in the extraordinary archaeological context of the Imperial Fora, with entrance from Piazza del Foro Traiano and overlooking the Basilica Ulpia and the Trajan Column. The space houses an art gallery that, with an innovative vision centred around the combination of archaeology and contemporary art, proposes an articulated cultural programme of site-specific actions and immersive experiences curated by international artists. The building is on two levels, in a succession of interlinked rooms that end, on the underground level, with the extraordinary emotional experience of the archaeological remains of Basilica Ulpia.

The project’s approach was ‘silent’ but clearly oriented towards giving the space an architectural identity with a typically ‘Roman’ character: working with material and light to generate a sequence of minimal variations to create the space.

The floor was made of cocciopesto, according to the ancient technique, by specialised craftsmen, while the walls and vaults were painted in a neutral colour palette varying from room to room to emphasise the relationship with natural light, which is progressively replaced by artificial light. The light design was carried out by Barcelona-based studio Artec3. Finally, a ‘micro-architecture’ was built into each room, integrated furnishings that participate in a functional and decorative characterisation of the spaces: a bookshop at the entrance, a small wooden staircase in the projection/lecture room and a cocciopesto counter in the bar.