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At the heart of the Archaeological Site of Pompeii, the Palestra Grande is one of the most significant spaces of the ancient city. Here, architecture, history and memory coexist within a context of extraordinary complexity, where every contemporary intervention must address the need to protect the heritage without altering its perception.
For the Palestra Grande, i-Mesh developed an architectural textile screening solution for the north-eastern and south-eastern sides of the building, covering a total area of approximately 900 sqm. The objective was twofold: to meet the protection requirements of the archaeological context while maintaining an open relationship between the interior space and its surroundings.
The mesh thus becomes a new architectural surface, lightweight and permeable, capable of integrating into the context without transforming the porticoes into completely enclosed spaces: an equilibrium between protection and openness
The design brief arose from a clear intention: to screen the porticoes without closing them.
The i-Mesh solution filters light and reduces direct exposure while preserving the perception of being outdoors. The specific configuration of the textile surface also limits visibility from the outside, creating a more protected environment within the Palestra Grande.
The screening is therefore not conceived as an element of separation, but as a filter between space, light and landscape. This is particularly important in a site such as Pompeii, where the perception of the architecture and its visual continuity with the surrounding context are an integral part of the experience.
i-Mesh was selected for its ability to respond to specific technical requirements: UV protection, breathability, resistance to weather conditions and solar shading.
These requirements are particularly relevant for an outdoor application exposed to environmental conditions and located within an archaeological site. The mesh must provide a long lasting screening function without compromising the natural ventilation of the porticoes.
The result is an architectural textile solution in which performance and lightness work together. Rather than imposing additional architectural mass, the surface creates a new relationship between the historic structure and its environment.
In Pompeii, protection also takes on a deeply human meaning.
The Palestra Grande houses some of the famous plaster casts, created to reproduce the forms of the bodies of the victims of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. They are therefore not simply archaeological remains: the casts are a direct testimony to the tragedy that marked the city in 79 AD.
The textile screening contributes to protecting the casts from direct exposure by filtering light and creating a more protected condition within the porticoes, while preserving their visibility.
This balance between protection and openness addresses one of the central questions of contemporary architecture applied to heritage: how can we protect without concealing?
A place like Pompeii requires a multidisciplinary approach. Archaeology, anthropology, volcanology and museography all contribute to the interpretation and preservation of a heritage in which every element tells part of the story of the territory.
Within this context, i-Mesh brings its expertise in architectural textiles, transforming a need for protection into a project in which the surface itself becomes part of the architecture.
Technology is not used to impose itself on the historic context, but to create a contemporary solution capable of engaging with it.
A defining feature of the project is the design of the mesh.
The pattern was developed specifically for the project, drawing inspiration from opus reticulatum, one of the characteristic construction techniques of Roman architecture. The geometry of the pattern translates this historical reference into a contemporary architectural language, avoiding a purely decorative reproduction.
The pattern thus becomes an integral part of the design: not simply an aesthetic choice, but a design tool for defining the relationship between solids and voids, light and shadow, transparency and screening.
It is an example of how custom-designed solutions can be developed in which the surface design is conceived around the space, the architecture and the specific requirements of the project.
The choice of fibres also contributes to establishing a dialogue between the i-Mesh solution and the surrounding territory.
For the Palestra Grande project, Basalt fibre and Volcano fibre were used. Their presence introduces a material dimension into the mesh that recalls the geological character of the landscape around Mount Vesuvius.
Basalt, a material of volcanic origin, brings a direct reference to the earth and to the natural processes that have shaped the territory. Volcano further reinforces this connection through a material and a name that evoke the volcanic dimension of Pompeii and the presence of Vesuvius within the landscape.
In Pompeii, the relationship with the volcano is not secondary: it is part of the history, identity and memory of the place. The eruption of AD 79 irreversibly transformed the city, making it the extraordinary archaeological testimony we know today.
Basalt and Volcano therefore introduce this relationship into a contemporary surface, bringing material, innovation, architecture and territory into dialogue.
The Palestra Grande project demonstrates how i-Mesh can perform different functions within a space: screening, filtering, protecting and shaping a new perception of the environment.
The lightweight nature of the solution makes it possible to intervene within the architecture without weighing it down, while the ability to customise the weave and pattern allows a surface to be developed that is coherent with the specific character of the site.
This ability to design every element according to its context makes architectural textiles particularly versatile for outdoor applications, solar shading, façades and protection systems.
At Pompeii, i-Mesh interprets screening as a design element capable of combining performance, design and lightness. It does not simply cover a surface: it creates a filter, modulates light, preserves permeability of the space and contributes to protecting a unique heritage.
The result is a contemporary solution born from technology but defined by its dialogue with architecture. A project in which textiles become part of the space, and in which material research, from Basalt to Volcano, meets the principles of tailor-made design.
At Pompeii, protection also means preserving the possibility to see, understand and remember. Lightness becomes the means through which this relationship can continue to exist.
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