TA.R.I-Architects: Young Roman Architects on Public Space and Rome's 'Untouchable' Sites

Marco Tanzilli (born 1989) and Claudia Ricciardi (born 1991), co-founders of TA.R.I-Architects in Rome since 2017, discuss their focus on collective space and a new initiative for Rome. After experience in Boston and at Nemesi (which built the Italy Pavilion at Expo Milan), they won second place in a Seoul competition for a community cultural space, prompting them to start their own firm. They criticize architecture's trend toward spectacle, advocating for human-scaled public spaces like the Italian piazza. They are organizing a show (originally scheduled for spring 2020, postponed to autumn) inviting twelve young Italian and international studios to reimagine twelve 'untouchable' Roman sites (Piazza del Popolo, Piazza Navona, Pantheon) to provoke debate on urban regeneration, referencing how the Stadium of Domitian became Piazza Navona. They also plan a conversation series 'Visioni Romane' on YouTube Artribune TV. Tanzilli notes Italy's lack of investment in youth, comparing architects to chefs who recently gained prestige. Ricciardi hopes the pandemic will lead to systemic urban planning and digital integration, observing a shift from physical to virtual piazzas. The interview was conducted by Marco De Donno and Derin Canturk.