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year | 2019
place | Rome [I]
category | wonen
540CMR
Co-Massimo, Rome, 540 housing units
Programm Reinventing living together, competition ‘Rome Collective Living Challenge’

The intention of the competition is to create an entirely innovative way of living, experimenting with the concept of affordable housing in relation to the ideals of a co-living lifestyle: a community to live in within the crowded capital of Italy. 
The concept of collective living has been existing for hundreds of years: communities combining individual living space with common, shared facilities.

The ‘circus Maximus’, located in the east bank of the Tevere, in the ‘Rione’ Ripa, used to be the largest ancient amphitheater in Rome.
Nowadays it faces a crucial crossing point between via Appia, via Ostense and in direct connection to the axis leading towards the Colosseum.
Throughout the centuries the circus Maximus has consistently been a vibrant meeting place for the people of Rome and a point of aggregation and cohesion in society.
During the races and gladiator fights, all the people - rich or poor, old or young, Patritius or Plebeus - would gather here to enjoy some entertainment, and would be equal for an hour. 
The Circus Maximus and its location, may now have lost most of its original “glory.  Yet, this site - now an open grass field with some ruins -  has never lost its spirit and its attraction-force for the people of Rome.

The “Co-Massimo” is a co-housing project which revitalises this ‘void’, a giant footprint in the city, and re-uses it to connect people, once more,  re-interpreting its identity as a place of gathering and social cohesion.

The Borgata Co-Massimo, is sub-divided in 18 Contrada’s. Each Contrada consists of approximately 30 units and has mostly one or two shared spaces (such as: common living, guest room, bicycle storage, laundry, library). By connecting multiple contrada’s, multiple shared spaces on a bigger scale can be generated such as: mobility center, medical center, park, vegetable/fruit garden, swimming pool, multifunctional spaces, sportarea, daycare, animal hotel


Design: 2018 - 2019
Address: Circus Maximus, Rome (I)
Client: Bee Breeders, architecture competition organisers
Project team: Jo Janssen, Maud van Oerle, Andi Belulaj, Laura Piovan (ArCharis ArChitecture)