HGA

Ross Altheimer, ASLA, LEED AP, of HGA Architects and Engineers (HGA) has received the prestigious Rome Prize. The 11-month Fellowship will allow Altheimer to pursue his research in urban infrastructure and city design at the American Academy in Rome, Italy beginning this September. 

Altheimer will explore the interdependence of architecture, landscape, infrastructure and culture in Rome's subterranean city. He will examine the ongoing expansion of the Rome Metro Line C, which has led to several major archaeological discoveries that have impacted the expansion. He also will study the urban anomalies that have arisen out the thousands of years of construction and deconstruction.

"Rome's subterranean is where history plays out," Altheimer said. "It is rich with strata and stories: layers of fill, quarries, crypts, temples, foundations, water infrastructure, artesian wells, mushrooms, exotic plants, large rats and metro lines. Here, both the collective memory of the city and the overlay of the contemporary city are made visible."

Altheimer will use a combination of representational and communication tools to document his research, including map making, interviews, film, surveying, drawing, walking tours and blogging.