Tonight we were delighted to host the first-ever UW Rome Center Distinguished Lecture on the UW campus in Seattle. Kane Hall was packed, with over 240 people in attendance. Professor Alain Gowing shared his fascinating talk, “Ghosts of the Palazzo Pio”, and then Professor Steve Muench gave an update on the renovation project. Afterwards, we gathered for a Prosecco toast by Seattle chef and UW Rome Center alum Renee Erickson. The toast kicked off a great party!
Category: Renovation
Historical grace… and paperwork
We have been enjoying the work of selecting flooring and lighting for our updated classrooms. These features of course must be complementary to the existing design (e.g., marble doorways) and decorative features, as well as to the historical grace of the building. They also need to stand up to heavy use by our study abroad students and other visitors.
The next steps for us are very paperwork heavy! We are submitting designs for the 3rd floor work to the Ministry of Cultural Heritage for approval, as all plans must maintain the history and prestige of the building. And finally, our fire safety consultant will be submitting our fire safety plans to the local fire department next week to ensure that all plans meet or exceed fire safety regulations.
Beyond the scope of the UW renovation project, but certainly impacting our space and the palazzo overall of course, the building owners have just completed some work on the facade of the Pio. The scaffolding has come down, and the façade facing Campo de’ Fiori is now a beautiful light brown stucco contrasted against marble inlay. Here’s a picture so that you can see what it looks like. We hope you can come and see it in person soon!
An end to Roman holidays…
Thanks for checking in with us! September and the promise of fall weather brings renewed energy to the construction process.
In July, workers were diverted to tackle some emergency repairs on the roof. August holidays meant that we took a break from construction work for a few weeks. Our team of workers is now back from vacation, rested and ready to go!
Despite the brief setback with the roof, we have made some good progress. The demolition phase of the project is done, and the electrical and HVAC projects are also complete. To get ready for the next phase of construction, the UWRC team has further adjusted the classroom, office and common spaces currently being used by visiting students and faculty so that construction workers have the access they need to begin their next projects. Renovations have begun in the common areas, including replacement of the skylight in the main staircase.
We wanted to share some photos here from the Foster Rome program to give you a taste 😉 of what some of our UW students were up to on summer faculty-led study abroad programs.
As usual, the students spent much of their time engaging with the city of Rome and beyond, including a visit to a local olive oil factory (you may have sampled their delicious produce if you buy your EVOO at Costco!). Through this visit, students gained deeper understanding of global supply chain logistics. In other words, what does it take to get products from field to factory to your local store?
The students did not escape classroom time altogether, though. Lectures and group work back at the UWRC helped put their observations into context.
If you’d like to learn more about the UWRC renovation, we hope you can make it to the first-ever UW Rome Center Distinguished Lecture on Friday, November 15th in Kane Hall on the UW campus in Seattle. It’s going to be a fantastic evening, hosted by Seattle chef and UWRC alumna Renee Erickson.
Professor Alain Gowing will give his fascinating history talk, Ghosts of the Palazzo Pio, with tons of fun history on our historic home. Afterwards, Professor Steve Muench – who is in Rome right now leading his amazing faculty-led program – will give an update on the renovations.
Lighting, tiles, AV and more
Work on the 1st floor continues, with reinforcement of the floors and fire safety measures having been the top priority thus far. A complete overhaul of the HVAC system is also underway to ensure adequate cooling during our hot Roman summers and heating in our chillier months.
We have also been working with Targetti, a premier technical and architectural lighting company with a long history of lighting in Italy. 
Targetti is designing functional and beautiful lighting solutions for our classrooms, grand conference room, and new exhibit space. The exhibit space is an interesting challenge as it features a centuries-old fresco depicting Juno, Aeolus, god of the winds, and the nymph Deiopea.
Plans for educational technology in all classrooms have also been finalized. Our renovated classrooms and seminar rooms will offer new AV equipment. 
We are also adding a computer kiosk in hallway leading to the conference room will for use by students and conference attendees alike. New tiles for the classrooms, exhibit space, waiting area, kitchenette, and bathrooms will soon be selected, too.
The first phase of this project is on target to be completed by December 2019. Stay tuned for more updates!
Contractors break ground — or floor, rather — at Palazzo Pio
In January, after many years of planning in coordination with Istituto Tata Giovanni, which owns Palazzo Pio, renovations are now underway at the 
UW Rome Center. Staged in three phases, the project includes critical updates to the structure, electrical and mechanical works; important fire safety prevention measures; as well as new lighting, flooring and educational technology. The renovation also maximizes educational space so that future generations of UW students can participate in the transformative experience of study abroad in the heart of Rome.
We are currently engaged in phase 1 of the project. Projects include:
- Transforming the seminar room into a lovely exhibit space to showcase student work
- Creating a waiting room area, common-use kitchenette, and new seminar room
- Installing new bathrooms
- Reconfiguring a faculty apartment
- Opening up access to the terrace overlooking Campo de’ Fiori for students and faculty
- Phases 2 (tentatively scheduled for April 2020 – April 2021) and 3 (tentatively scheduled for September 2021 – July 2022) include similar work, all with an eye for improving the usability of the space for our academic programs, conferences and other educational activities.
Classes and programming are in full swing during the renovation. To make room, we have repurposed and consolidated other spaces, including “the Prow” on the 3rd floor, and the library and computer lab on the 4th floor.
While the work is going on, programming will continue and classes are currently in full swing on the third and fourth floors of the UWRC. We will continue to welcome UW programs throughout all three phases the project, and encourage faculty to come see first-hand the transformation that is underway here in Rome. While some flexibility will be required around classroom assignments, programs scheduled at the UWRC this year will be accommodated in existing classroom space. Programs wishing to come in the future are very much encouraged to submit their applications for next year as well, which are due August 31, 2019 for 2020-21 programs (except Early Fall 2020 programs, for which the application deadline is October 31, 2019).