The Nymphaeum in Genazzano was originally a both sacred and secular building in the past, so the new design seeks to maintain the monumentality of the building while bringing it psychologically closer to the people. The principles of our design are: first, to maintain the status quo of the ruins to the maximum extent possible and to reduce the area of the new building as much as possible; second, to maintain the original vegetation and trees in the park and to reduce the damage to the green space caused by the non-permeable hard paving as much as possible. There are two main design approaches. Firstly, an 11 meters high, rectangular lightweight structure is added inside the ruins, which is in line with the height of the original nymphaeum and links people’s memory to the original building, especially from the front image of the theater’s outlines. Then, outward- growing arcs are introduced in the garden at the front and back of the nymphaeum in the center, forming stepped or sloping lawns and highlighting the core position of the nymphaeum inside the park.
The new designed theater can provide two scenarios for use. One is completely indoor, i.e., the performance (3 in the level plan) and audience (2) are both inside the nymphaeum. In this case, the audience can immerse themselves in the performance from inside the ruins without affection by the weather. The other is an integration of indoor performance and outdoor audience, where the stage is enlarged three times (2+3) and the audience sits on the slightly raised lawn in front. This situation is ideal for sunny days with comfortable temperatures, especially during the town’s festivals, such as Infiorate and Processione del Sacro Cuore, when it can be used as part of the new procession routes and event venues.
