Science Museum of Rome

Science in general and the "scientific method" in particular have undoubtedly contributed enormously to the success and well-being of humanity. Our knowledge and the tools at our disposal, both constantly evolving, continuously increase our ability to adapt or alter the world to our advantage. Only recently, however, has there begun to be a greater awareness that this interaction has mostly been transactional and shortsighted. We have extracted, emitted, exploited, drained, and disposed of, neglecting how each action affects multiple and broader systems, leading to problematic consequences for humanity and the environment. Conversely, although overly romanticized in popular culture, pre-modern societies had a relational interaction with the world around them. Our team sees the MSR project as an opportunity to represent the need for science – and with it contemporary society – to question the conception of progress based on transactional interactions, rediscovering and valuing a relational approach. This ambition is realized in an intervention capable of establishing a living relationship between the existing building, the new spaces, the program, and the various categories of users in which the past is valued through the preservation of significant parts of the preexistence, respecting the layouts, and reusing construction elements, believing that reducing the environmental footprint and the sustainable use of available resources are essential for positive development.