Studio Labics Architects Share Their Vision for Rome's Future

In a video interview, architects Maria Claudia Clemente and Francesco Isidori of Studio Labics discuss their vision for Rome, blending contemporary design with historical memory. Their ongoing projects include the Arena of the Colosseum, the redevelopment of the Archaeological Walk, the library of Città del Sole in a former 1930s bus depot, and the master plan for the Campus Bio-Medico, a large-scale project set to take shape by 2050 in southern Rome. The studio has also completed museum expansions such as the Palazzo dei Diamanti in Ferrara and the Fondazione Mast in Bologna. Isidori emphasizes that being visionary is essential to architecture, requiring the courage to imagine and transform spaces. Clemente notes that Rome faces cultural resistance to change, and a shift in cultural approach is needed to balance memory and contemporaneity, starting with university education. The interview is part of the 'Vision of Roma' project by Spazio Taverna, which aims to build an archive of Rome's future through testimonies from cultural professionals reshaping the city. Other protagonists include Cardinal José Tolentino de Mendonça, Stefano Boeri, Fabrizio Palermo, and Margherita Guccione.