Funny Palace (of Rome)

As much as we complain about modern travel, it really is something amazing to travel by highway, high-speed train and airplane. A trip to Rome from France was at one time the culmination of a life’s effort to raise the funds and a long and dangerous journey over land and sea. For all but the fantastically wealthy, this pilgrimage was fantastically difficult. I was mildly inconvenienced by having to travel to Lyon the night before in order to make the 4:45 am bus to the airport for my 7:00 am flight.

Another bus ride from Ciampino airport was required before I could definitively say that I had arrived in Rome. The bus dropped me off at Roma Termini, the central train station and starting & ending point of all adventures in Rome. My hostel was conveniently located only a few blocks from Termini. Despite being quite groggy from my early morning travels, I easily followed the directions provided by hostelworld.com to Funny Palace Hostel. I hoped that the funny name was just the result of an unfortunate translation.

Despite the odd sounding name, reviewers had highly rated the hostel. They warned, however, that the check-in seemed a little sketchy. The owners of the hostel rooms also ran an internet and laundry service. Entering through the front door, I was ushered to a simple table nestled between computer stations and washing machines. Immediately, Mabri, my host, began planning my stay in Rome. Though it was 10am, he also offered a bottle of wine.

Mabri suggested that I see the Colosseum and nearby Roman ruins to start my day. He had tricks for avoiding the long lines. Like: buy your ticket at the entrance to the Forum, because it’s also good for the Colosseum but isn’t as busy in the morning. Also, go up Via dogi Annibaldi for the best view of the Colosseum (note that you cannot access the entrance from that street). On day two, I would visit the Vatican. Remember, Mabri urged, to look for the #40 and #64 busses from Termini. If I was up for a long walk, he suggested a half dozen sites of interest between the hostel and St. Peter’s. Finally, I left with coupons for free breakfast and some discount cards for local restaurants.

The room was quaint and the bed was comfortable - not that I would have much difficulty sleeping after all the walking. I shared a room with three other travelers. They were all nice, and I even shared dinner later with a couple of Aussi’s. This was their first time to Europe. For once, I felt like the seasoned traveler. I figured that would prepare me well for my whirlwind tour of Rome.

Monumental Architecture

What motivates a property owner, developer or government agency to endeavor to construct a monumental structure - one that they hope will be recognized as an architectural achievement. In part, it's an exercise in egotism similar to the Pharohs' competition to build the most magnificent pyramid or Napoleon's Arc de Triomphe (itself a copy of a fairly common Roman practice). This question is uniquely addressed in The Edifice Complex, a book by Deyan Sedjic. However, immediate tangible benefit is also assumed a byproduct of such structures. The Pharohs improved their chances of ascending to the afterlife and conquerers have long needed symbols of their authority.

In modern times, the benefit is frequently as simlple as marketing. Landmark buildings can be easier to lease; they can promote tourism to a city or region; they symbolize the strength of the organization.


Increasingly, it seems that spectacular strutures are being designed for infrastructure projects. The crowd-pleasing aesthetic of the cable-stayed bridge has resulted in a quick embrace of this bridge type for long spans. However, this topic entered my mind as I was standing in the train station at the Lyon-St. Exupery airport. Envisioned as a gateway into France's Côte du Rhone and Alpes regions, the complex links the airport to France's high-speed (TGV) rail system.

The structure was designed by Santiago Calatrava, also famous for the station hall in Lucerne, Switzerland and Turning Torso in Malmö, Sweeden. The structure features two massive fans projecting outward from the center of the structure like the wings of a bird about to take flight. Inside, the resulting structural ribs create an interesting symmetric asthetic - like you're seeing the skeletal structure from within a massive flying creature.

While the use of expressed structure clearly pleases my sense of structural beauty, the other part of my engineer's brain wonders about the cost-benefit analysis of such a structure. Clearly, additional cost was involved. The information boards in the great hall even boast that no two steel segments are identical. Could the function of linking an airport to a train station been achieved more efficiently: yes. Is the additional aesthetic effort worth it? That's a question for the ages.

View more monumental structure on the IABSE Photo Contest of Structure website.