American Academy in Rome Restoration of the Arthur e Janet Ross Library

About the project:
American Academy in Rome: restroration of the Arthur e Janet Ross Library
When:
2006-2007
What:
Design Engineering
Project Management
The Arthur and Janet Ross Library of the American Academy in Rome is one of the most prestigious collections of books on the history of Rome in the world. A destination for scholars from major international universities and research institutes, it houses approximately 150,000 historical and current volumes on the themes of art, archaeology, and architecture relating to the eternal city. The spaces that house the library were designed by architects McKim Meadow and White and were opened in 1913, the year in which the Academy building was completed. Numerous additions followed over time until the creation of the Rare Books Room designed by Michael Graves in 1996. In 2006 we were called upon to renovate the library according to the new cataloging of the collections, enhancing the historical spaces according to a philological restoration of finishes and furnishings and adding new reading spaces (cryptoporticus room and gallery) and archiving spaces. The project also required the design of new reading tables, made to be personalized by the scholars to whom they are assigned, new chests of drawers for the storage of large volumes and furnishings for the offices and the entrance hall for visitors.





