Two Electa bookshops in the Colosseum: fiction and immortal architecture

In the extraordinary location of the Archaeological Park of the Colosseum, Rome, the two new Electa bookshops have been selected by the Prix Versailles Committee for the World's Most Beautiful Emporiums List 2024. The design of the two bookshops creates intertwined narrative landscapes with the magnificent centuries-old architecture

New literary discovery places that turn into memory

The Migliore+Servetto Studio, renowned for its architectural and interior design projects, is responsible for the new format for the two Electa bookshops in the exclusive location of the Colosseum. The intervention is part of a broader project by the studio that includes the other Palatino San Gregorio and Clivo Palatino bookstores in the Archaeological Park and the restyling of Electa at the Venice Biennale. The design focus is to create new literary discovery places that turn into memory

A modular furniture system in perforated sheet metal

The new Electa bookshelves offer a space for cultural encounters becoming examples of innovation, inspiration, and ecology. The architects have developed a modular furniture system, extremely lightweight thanks to its composition in perforated sheet metal, which characterizes each store with dedicated colors: in this case, we find sulfur yellow at Colosseum I and scarlet red at Colosseum II. Studio Sonnoli contributes with the interpretation between memory and irony of the furniture backrests, full-height graphic fields that determine the identity of the different parts of the stores

Constant dialogue between customers, books, and the monumental context

The exhibition shelving system consists of 5 elements: the wall display unit; the wall focus element for emphasizing specific products or themes; the double-sided freestanding elements that determine visitor flows; the thematic islands; and finally, the customer service checkout element. The main goal is to create a constant dialogue between customers, books, and the monumental context in which the bookstores are located

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Migliore+Servetto Architects

Viale Col di Lana, 8, 20136 Milan, Italy