atelier poem's nestles wooden pavilion amid gardens of villa medici

atelier poem crafts community gathering space in villa medici

A small wooden temple emerges from the gardens of the Villa Medici in Rome as a space for social connection, artistic expression, and the preservation of natural and historical heritage. Designed by Atelier Poem, La Timidité des Cimes (Crown Shyness) pavilion reimagines the concept of the cabane through a symbolic experience, offering visitors a space for exploring other ways of being together in this cultural center. With a distinct design that socially reinterprets the natural phenomenon whereby trees maintain a certain distance from one another, known as the ‘timidity gap’, this installation invites visitors to gather, meditate, and engage in playful activities amidst a forest of rhythmic columns.

La Timidité des Cimes was built as part of Le Festival des cabanes Villa Medici 2023, which opened to the public from May 24 and will run through October 1, 2023.

a cluster of fifteen wooden modules | all images courtesy of Atelier Poem

La Timidité des Cimes is a cluster of 15 timber modules

La Timidité des Cimes was constructed as part of Le Festival des cabanes Villa Medici, aligning with the festival’s philosophy as a means of social connection and rediscovery of the Villa’s historic gardens built in the late 16^th century. Functioning as a place of transition and interaction between the surrounding environment, historical remains, and the internal life it shelters, the installation takes on the role of a small cultural center. It breathes new life into the gardens hosting a range of artistic and cultural events while also providing a tranquil space for rest, reading, and play.

Atelier Poem’s creation develops from a comprehensive reflection of the relationship among architecture, man, and the environment, drawing from the concept of the ‘cabane rustique’ as outlined by Laugier in 1753. It explores the essence of architecture itself, seeking to synthesize through the form those theoretical, aesthetic, and practical values valid in the past as well as today. Striking a balance between the Vitruvian notion of the primitive hut and Le Corbusier’s concept of the temple primitive, La Timidité des Cimes seamlessly integrates within the Carré des vestiges, one of Villa Medici’s sixteen gardens, extending the fabric of the structure itself through its size, structure, and harmonious geometry based on the golden ratio.

La Timidité des Cimes is nestled amid the maze gardens of Villa Medici

The cabane, located at the entrance of the garden is proposed as a threshold — a transformative place that can adapt to different uses, enabling experimentation with new relational and spatial configurations. Recalling Heidegger’s use of the wooded metaphor of the clearing, La Timidité des Cimes blurs the boundaries between installation and garden which appear as a single space, alternating between concealment and unveiling. It creates an immersive sensory experience, reminiscent of walking through a forest where sunlight filters through the trees. The subtle interplay between light and darkness evokes the phenomenon of crown shyness, as the visitor moves through the installation and encounters the mosaic-like composition of fifteen modules.

These modules sit in harmony with one another without touching, with the gaps between establishing essential pauses to the understanding of the work, evocative of the Japanese cultural concept of Ma. The all-timber structure was designed by Atelier Poem in close collaboration with Wooden Houses Srl’s team of engineers and carpenters. The objective was to ensure a swift assembly and disassembly process on-site, and as such, the fifteen identical modules were divides into eight composite elements. Pre-assembled in the workshop, they were accompanied by a carefully planned floor and base structure that enables the garden soil to breathe through a delicate anchoring.

the cabane is located at the entrance of the garden as a threshold