Venezia
Station

Station Levels

Technical areas and public areas of the station are entirely underground. The functional and plant organization of the station is entirely contained in the station shaft located under Piazza Venezia. The platforms, on the other hand, are partly located in the station shaft and partly in galleries excavated “naturally.” In fact, given the context in which the station is located, it was impossible to create a box diaphragm capable of accommodating the entire development of the platforms, which have a length of approximately 110 meters according to the Line C standard. Therefore, once the excavation bottom is reached, the platform galleries will have to be built using traditional excavation with the ground freezing technique for a total length of approximately 100 meters.

At the lower levels, there are the preparation levels for the connection with the future Line D. The excavation technique is of the top-down type adapted to archaeological pre-existing conditions (known as “archaeological top-down” adopted in other contexts such as Porta Metronia station and San Giovanni station), which involves the construction of descending structures, allowing to minimize the impact of the construction site on the external environment.

Based on the physical-mechanical characteristics of the soils and given the particular context in which the activities will be carried out, rich in historical, artistic, and monumental pre-existing structures of inestimable value, it was necessary to provide in the project the construction of unreinforced diaphragms made with low-strength concrete in order to stiffen the perimeter walls of the station body. These diaphragms – called Cross Walls – will be constructed under coverage, and therefore the construction of the atrium floor and the first technical floor is postponed until after the archaeological excavation and the subsequent construction of the cross walls.

End Benefit and Sustainability

The excavation of the Piazza Venezia station will be an important opportunity to learn about Ancient Rome through the archaeological excavation that will affect a soil thickness of approximately 15 meters, bringing to light remains of extreme historical and archaeological importance. The construction of the project represents a significant opportunity for enhancing the value of the unearthed artifacts, along with the creation of an underground Museum Hub connecting various surrounding monumental complexes: Palazzo Venezia, Ateneo di Adriano, Vittoriano, and the Foro di Traiano-Augusto-Nerva.

Station Needs and Entrances

The functional needs mainly arise from the nature of being a traffic junction in the area. Pedestrian and vehicular flows, as well as underground utilities, are elements that define the project’s configuration.

The ground-level entrances to the station have been designed to serve the different areas of the square and to connect the station with:

• the Palazzo Venezia system: where an open descent with two escalators, one fixed staircase, and a glass elevator has been planned;
• the Ateneo di Adriano and Fori Imperiali system: where an open descent with two escalators, one fixed staircase, and a glass elevator has been planned;
• the Vittoriano system: the project includes an open descent. Once users have reached the first underground level of the station through the ground-level access points mentioned above, they will have the option to safely access the museum complexes without dealing with street traffic.

Specifically, they will have access to:

• the underground rooms of Palazzo Venezia;
• the level of the remains of the Ateneo di Adriano and, through an underground tunnel, connect to the Archaeological Park of the Fori Imperiali;
• via an underground tunnel, to the museum area of the Vittoriano.

The connection between the station and the monumental complex of Palazzo Venezia is twofold.
At street level, near the sidewalk in front of the main entrance of the Palazzo, there is an open descent (comprising a fixed staircase with a net width of 2 meters positioned between two escalators) and a glass elevator. Both connect the exterior of the Palazzo to the first underground level of the station at a height of +14.40 meters. These elements, the descents, and the elevator have been positioned to preserve the functional aspects of the entrances to the Palazzo at street level. Once the atrium museum level of the station is reached, it will be possible to connect to the underground of Palazzo Venezia through the creation of two connection points as shown in the image below.

The tunnel terminates by connecting to one of the arches of the Basilica Ulpia, reaching the same elevation as the existing ground. Access to the station near the Ateneo di Adriano and the Fori Imperiali is achieved through an open descent (comprising a fixed staircase with a clear width of 3 meters located between two escalators) and a glass elevator, which establish a connection between street level and the atrium-museum of the station. At the underground level, the station’s atrium is connected to the pathway for enjoying the remains of the Ateneo’s halls. This pathway is accessible from both the atrium museum area and the station area located on the opposite side of the halls from the other entrance.

The architectural design was influenced by the request of the Soprintendenza di Roma to create a level of the station dedicated to a museum exhibition. This influenced the entire design of the atrium level with connections to the surrounding museums and local discoveries, but it also became the inspiration for characterizing all the interiors of the station down to the deepest levels. The new station aims to preserve the value of history found on the surface, incorporating vibrant spaces that showcase archaeological remains and/or fixed or temporary museum installations. These elements create a true spatial experience for users of the underground spaces, contributing to improved comfort conditions and, consequently, the usability of the station. The idea is for the entire station to become a kind of new museum for the city, a vertically distributed museum that accompanies subway users on their descent and/or ascent to and from the trains. The choice of finishes is consistent with this fundamental design choice and will use neutral materials that maximize the effect of the exhibition spaces within the station, which will be treated with specific accent colors.

On the eastern side of Via Flaminia, the presence of commercial buildings and an insula from the 2nd-3rd century was discovered during the excavation work necessary for the construction of the foundations of the Assicurazioni Generali building. In 1932, while digging a trench parallel to the façade of the Assicurazioni Generali building, the façade of a large building with tabernae located west of the insula was uncovered. These spaces, in addition to having an entrance on Via Lata, also had access on the opposite side, where there was a corridor or via tecta. On the other side of this corridor, another series of rooms opened up, of which only a small part of two rooms was seen. These remains are at a varying altimetric level, ranging from a minimum altitude of about 13.70 meters above sea level to a maximum altitude, corresponding to the surface, of about 16.37 meters above sea level. The altitude of Via Flaminia, attested to on a remaining section of imperial-era paving, is about 13.80 meters above sea level. The indication received during the project phase from the Soprintendenza di Roma was to seek an integration of this system within the station’s atrium in order to make it legible and philologically understandable.

Considering that the project’s atrium floor elevation is 12.80 meters above sea level, the altimetric repositioning of the remains in the station could be almost entirely faithful to the original altitude. As for the Auditoria uncovered during the Metro C excavations from 2007 to 2010 at Piazza Madonna di Loreto, they are part of a larger architectural complex from the Adrian era, located on top of the western hemicycle of the Forum of Trajan, adjacent to the libraries and the Column of Trajan. This monumental building originally consisted of three large vaulted halls arranged radially to the west of the curvilinear road that followed the terminal exedra of the Forum of Trajan.
Two large rectangular halls (central hall measuring 22.50 x 13.00 meters; southern hall measuring 23.80 x 12.60 meters) were identified in the excavations. A third hall with similar characteristics had been unearthed further north during the construction of the Palazzo delle Assicurazioni Generali in 1902.

The central hall is the only one that has been fully exposed and appears to be in the best state of preservation. Its space is characterized by two stepped areas contained by marble parapets. The entrance to the building is located on the eastern curved front, where a large opening leads into a corridor with two openings on the north side, providing access to the central hall. The second stepped hall uncovered in the recent excavations is in a significantly compromised condition due to the post-ancient era cellars that have reached and damaged the Roman-era structures.