Rooted in the notion of an informal dancing in and around thresholds, the proposal is an intervention that exists in the interstitial. Nestled beyond the walls of St. Peter’s Church, the project opts not to compete with the rich, historically significant structures that are scattered across the grounds. Instead, these towers, walls, and ancillary buildings, in tandem with several mature olive groves, serve as mapping tools that craft the negative space - the space in-between.
Upon arrival to the site, pilgrims and locals alike are greeted by a vast, serpentine reception pavilion that undulates through public and semi-public spaces. Here, the project is a melting pot of those who have journeyed from all corners of the world, celebrating different backgrounds and experiences that are united by a sense of spiritual togetherness. When the time has come for rest, guests continue onward into the privacy of the lodging spaces. These structures take a different approach to the same notion of the in-between, instead dispersed as a series of 15 unique spaces that range from a single-person dwelling to a communal space for six. Here, tucked in far tighter to the canopies of the olive groves, more intimate sense of enclosure can be felt.
The organic pockets of space in-between are gestural in nature - open to programmatic interpretation depending on the needs of the users. Curtains flank the perimeter, partitioning spaces in various ways that allow the volume of the interior to remain as open and flexible as possible. For service spaces that warrant a firmer boundary, existing infrastructure beyond the walls of the basilica are given a new life to house kitchens, restrooms, storage and other secondary needs. The net impact to the site is minute - the project instead slips in and around the site to preserve the historic integrity of the basilica while providing sanctuary for one and for all who make the arduous pilgrimage through Tuscania.