Team TVK-IT'S wins competition to redesign Rome's Piazza dei Cinquecento

A team led by TVK SARL, IT'S srl, ARTELIA Italia spa, NET Engineering spa, Michela Rustici, and Latitude Platform for Urban Research and Design has won the competition to redesign Piazza dei Cinquecento, the vast square in front of Rome's Termini station. The competition was launched in December 2020 by Gruppo FS Italiane (with Grandi Stazioni Rail, FS Sistemi Urbani, and Rete Ferroviaria Italiana) together with Roma Capitale, with technical support from the Ordine degli Architetti di Roma e Provincia. The jury, chaired by architect Patricia Viel, selected five projects from 49 submissions, and the provisional ranking was published on June 18, 2021. The winning project aims to transform the 4-hectare area into a space for social interaction and greenery, emphasizing the site's historical and geological features. Key elements include freeing the square from car traffic, introducing piezoelectric pavement to generate energy from pedestrian movement, and creating a garden inspired by the ancient Garden of Livia housed in Palazzo Massimo. The project also addresses water management by retaining and infiltrating rainwater to mitigate flooding downstream. The team envisions a pedestrian and cycle-friendly square that connects to surrounding monuments like the Terme di Diocleziano, Palazzo Massimo, and Piazza della Repubblica, with a linear garden along the planned tram line to the Vatican.