Ostiense Conflux proposes a reversible scaffold that brings new life to the abandoned edges of Ostiense near the Gasometer and Teatro India. Inspired by Rome’s historic infrastructure—aqueducts, sewers, civic networks—the project couples public programs with a site-scale microgrid (wind, solar, hydro) that generates, stores, and distributes energy to the activities it supports. Using a typology-derived kit of parts, small modules aggregate into circulation spines, public rooms, private cells, and bath/food blocks. The scaffold attaches to existing structures, densifies key nodes, and can be dismantled or reconfigured as needs change. Acting as a designed parasite, the scaffold grafts onto existing infrastructure to feed it clean energy and civic life.
Site history
The site spans the industrial corridor around the Gasometer and the open grounds by Teatro India—rare, large voids within Rome’s dense fabric. Our strategy preserves these layers while reopening the district to public use and river access.
DESIGN METHODOLOGY
We analyzed Roman typologies to extract a repeatable structural language.
Studies of form and rhythm evolved into a grid-based kit, then into a groin-vault-derived framework that shifts from solid mass to open frame.
This kit scales from single modules to building-sized clusters. Rather than erase, the scaffold threads through, around, and above existing structures. It colonizes obsolete fabric, stabilizes it with new structure, and overlays productive layers that host energy systems and public programs.
The modular kit aggregates into program clusters strung along the Tiber, forming a continuous scaffold that reuses industrial fabric and inserts new volumes. Each cluster pairs a public program with a nearby generation/storage node—so power is produced, stored, and used on site with short, low-loss runs through the circulation spine. Shown here: PV + Art Gallery, Water Collection/Restaurants, Water Park + Housing Pods, Sports, Car-park Reuse, Wind Energy + Theme Park, and a Car Museum—all tied together by the distributed microgrid.
A site-scale microgrid pairs generation (PV, wind, hydro) with local storage and short-run distribution to each program cluster—so energy is produced, stored, and used on site with minimal loss.
Ostiense Conflux turns legacy infrastructure into a modular civic engine—where transit, energy, and public life meet. By pairing each program with nearby generation and storage, the precinct operates on its own microgrid, scales by cluster, and can be densified, reconfigured, or dismantled over time. The result is a resilient, teachable public realm that reconnects the district to the river and offers a template for other sites.
Final Renders
ARCH 400 Advanced Design Studio
Project Partner: Arushi Patel
Project Location: Rome, Italy
Professor: Lawrence Zeroth