Cal Poly Rome 2010

Architects have been traveling to Rome for hundreds of years to experience the treasures of antiquity as well as modern work. Even as the work that was once contemporary has become historic, architects continue to travel to the eternal city. In the spirit of “Learn by Doing” students will be immersed in 2500 years of history in the great classroom of Rome that offers a unique perspective on modernity and tradition. It is not difficult, even in a short walk, to experience work from both the first century and the present century. Students will not only get to know ancient monuments, masterpieces of the Renaissance and the Baroque, as well as contemporary projects, but they will be able to study the work within the rich fabric of the city. Architecture will be studied, not through a power point presentation, but as part of daily life. Prof. Marc J Neveu who teaches both history/theory and studio will lead this year’s group from Cal Poly. The program will coordinate with Prof. Tom Rankin, an architect who specializes in sustainable environments and is an expert on all things Roman.

This website will be the virtual memory theater for the program. Here you will find each of the projects completed by the students as well as a “zibaldone” for each. The term zibaldone refers to the small notebooks used to write long passages that could be attributed to their roles by players in the commedia dell’Art We will use the modern zibaldone to document our travels abroad. Projects on the website will be representative of the work done in studio, seminar, and other coursework.

Marc J Neveu

Marc graduated with a professional degree in architecture in 1995 and began working at Kallmann, McKinnell, & Wood Architects in Boston. He completed a M.Arch in the History and Theory program at McGill University in Montreal. Neveu pursued studies toward a Ph.D. His dissertation, Architectural Lessons of Carlo Lodoli (1690-1764), was named to the Dean’s Honor List in 2006 in Montreal. While working on his dissertation Marc was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship for study in Venice and a Collection Research Grant at the Canadian Centre for Architecture. In 2007 Neveu began work in the Department of Architecture at Cal Poly where he teaches history/theory courses and studio. He has lectured and published on issues concerning architectural pedagogy, both within the historical and contemporary context.

Tom Rankin

Tom holds an MArch degree from Harvard University Graduate School of Design, where he assisted Professor Jorge Silvetti in managing a Sicily research program. He earned a BA in Architecture from Princeton University. He is a recipient of the Fulbright Fellowship to study in Italy. In 1995 he founded the cultural association Scala Reale and was a co-founder and President of the American Institute for Roman Culture until 2008. He is currently a Lecturer at The University of Rome Engineering School and an Adjunct Professor at the American University of Rome. He has acted as the resident director of the Cal Poly Rome Architecture Program since 2008.