Finding one’s identity

The events that led to the founding of the collective Campomarzio in 2012 are truly various and disparate. Perhaps the first step was the collaboration for the project that won the Europan 10 competition in Genoa, through which a strong connection immediately arose between some of the founding members. Then, the lucky opportunity of having a free space available for two years, where it was possible to do research and cultural activities, led them to meet again, after various professional or working experiences in Italy and abroad, to decide to expand the group and finally, of course, to find a proper name!

The story behind the name

It took a long time to get to choose the name "Campomarzio". Obviously, everything stems from Giovanni Battista Piranesi's fascination with Campo Marzio and from Tafuri's interpretation that enhances its ambiguity, defining it at the same time as a project and a critique. Therefore, the critical approach we intend to have in dealing with each new design theme, whether it is a project or a research, becomes an opportunity to overcome the simple answer to a need. And precisely because a debate, sometimes very passionate, arises around the projects or the theoretical statements behind that, it is no coincidence that the Campus Martius is historically the place for military exercises.

A well-refined formula

Definitely one of the strengths of our group is adaptability: each of us is free to manage his own time and work as he wishes, respecting the deadlines and the commitments we have. Obviously it can happen that someone has to replace someone else because he is on vacation, or because he is absent due to family obligations, but in the end everything takes place according to the logic of collaboration and sharing. After several years together, we can say that we have properly tested and refined this formula.

Adapting to 2020

The organisation of our studio is without hierarchies: perfectly equal and horizontal. We have always shared every choice, while respecting the diversity and particularities of each of us, and for this reason, we do not always agree between each other, but in the end we always manage to reach a convergence. This is actually manifested and represented in our workspace: a single room where everyone can work independently, drawing, creating models, reading but confronting with each other at any time. The current situation, dictated by the pandemic, has greatly influenced our working habits, forcing us to a greater distance and certainly making daily confrontation more difficult. However, fortunately we are flexible and we have adapted easily to this new condition.

Intersecting a variety of creative fields

When we graduated, the economic crisis was at its peak and the only solution seemed to be to go abroad to find a job elsewhere. Honestly, none of us knew exactly what would happen and perhaps we didn't even know precisely what was going on when we decided to found Campomarzio. Over the course of these first 8 years, we have done the most diverse things: from architectural design to the organisation of exhibitions, from writing articles to self-construction workshops, from urban planning to conferences, from graphics to experimental music concerts. Later on, some activities were no longer on the agenda but we certainly had a lot of fun!

Going beyond architecture

Architecture competitions are always the priority: an opportunity to do architectural research and to confront each other and other colleagues, holding up a continuous stimulus to collaboration and professional growth. We believed so much in competitions and we persevered in achieving the first important results of our professional career, for this reason competitions will always be on our agenda. The construction of some of the winning competition projects will begin next year and we will have to experience the more practical aspect of the construction, trying to complete the works in the best way possible. Another important aspect of our practice is the various independent researches we’re carrying on. We consider these activities as a great way to go beyond architecture, to discover new things and to study deep different aspects of contemporary reality. This attitude will certainly be always at the center of our work in the next few years.