From the beginning of her career, Zaha Hadid sited her buildings in the air, floating buildings on shadow, light and space, relating her work to another tradition—Rome’s. Hadid, and the city’s architects of the Renaissance & Baroque that preceded her, aspired to the air, the skies, and the heavens.

In designing the hotel conversion of Palazzo Capponi, Hadid and her team at ZHA started where Baroque architects ended their palimpsest—at the vaulted ceilings.

Romeo Group purchased the palazzo in 2012 with an existing tenant: a government institute INAIL had occupied the building since 1951.

While its core dates from the 16th century, the palazzo also includes wings added by the INAIL in 1950s, remodelling its interiors when converting to offices.

With little original interiors remaining, Romeo continued tradition custodians of Italy’s grand buildings have followed for centuries—commissioning the pioneering architects of their time to create captivating interiors showcasing the expertise of skilled craftsmen working in the finest materials.

If walls are not parallel, the vaults above distort. ZHA evolved this concept necessitated by the palazzo’s irregular geometries: vaults intersect at angles, generating moments of wonder.

The palazzo’s core and its later additions are listed as historical buildings—dictating its walls could not be altered to incorporate mechanical & electrical services.

A second skin has been meticulously crafted for the hotel interiors, creating a cavity between the existing structure and interior walls to house the services for each room. While only a few centimetres in width, this cavity extends centuries in time, continuing the palazzo’s 500 years of reinvention.