International Design Competition Launched for Rome's Cisterna delle Sette Sale Restoration

The Sovrintendenza Capitolina ai Beni Culturali di Roma Capitale has launched an international design competition for the restoration and enhancement of the Cisterna delle Sette Sale on Colle Oppio, a monumental Roman cistern that has been closed to the public for years due to structural decay and water infiltration. The estimated cost for the project, including safety expenses, is €5,850,000 (excluding VAT). The competition follows a two-phase procedure: first, participants submit a design concept focusing on conservation, accessibility, and use; second, the top five teams (including architects, landscape architects, archaeologists, geologists, and engineers) develop technical and economic feasibility plans. The winner receives a €51,350 prize, while second to fifth places share €7,000. The deadline for the first phase is February 28, 2022. The cistern, dating from the 2nd century AD, supplied water to the Baths of Trajan and is one of the best-preserved ancient reservoirs globally. It features two levels with nine parallel chambers each, and one chamber was used as a burial site in the Middle Ages, where over a thousand skeletons were discovered during excavations in 1967. The project aims to restore the monument and enhance the surrounding archaeological area behind the Colosseum, a heavily touristic zone.