Calatrava's new campus in Rome breaks ground

The City of Rome and Tor Vergata University (also known as Roma II) celebrated the ground breaking on 21 March for a new campus, Sports City and Rectorate Tower designed by Santiago Calatrava. The 1,480-acre campus, situated east of Rome, serves 38,700 students. Calatrava’s master plan, which makes conscious reference to the Circus Maximus, is designed as a long promenade bordered by cypress trees and anchored by a new Sports City at one end and the Rectorate Tower at the other. Sports City is comprised of two identical fan-shaped pavilions. One of the pavilions will house a multi-purpose area; the other will accommodate swimming pools. The complex will also contain gymnasia, laboratories, classrooms, fitness and rehabilitation center, as well as offices and shops. The Rectorate Tower, conceived as a transparent spiral form accentuated with metallic columns, will contain 75,350 square feet of office space. At its base, a portico gives access to mixed used space containing offices, a large circular atrium, a cafeteria and an exhibition space. Sports City is scheduled for completion in time for the World Swimming Championships to be hosted in Rome in 2009.