The current state of
the building made the ideas of
a reconstruction uncertain,
particularly at the attic level.
For greater homogeneity
Jules Formigé's hypothesis
has been taken into consideration,
especially
since he considers Nîmes' amphitheatre as its
twin and, moreover, as a complete amphitheatre.
By an
in-depth comparative study of the two
monuments we have
been able to understand
the passage system..
When building the model, the first
problem
we encounter is the geometry of the building: oval
or ellipsis? Again the
Jules Formigé hypothesis is
applied: An oval has several centres which are
close
to the ellipsis. We determine 8 centres.
A second
and rather difficult problem is the design
of the model in
three dimensions. This building is
composed of a first series
of 60 arcades sheltering
a deambulatory on the ground floor and a circular
gallery on the first
floor
These two horizontal
passage surfaces are closed on the inside by a second series
of arcades which are
concentric to the first. From either arcade, alternately,
there is either a
horizontal gallery or a stairway. The interior of the monument is thus visible
either from the exterior through the arcades, or from the interior of the cavea
through the vomitories.
With all the rooms being identical, it was easier to machine
a model in a material imitating the stone grit, to mould by means
of elastomer resin and to build the number of copies wanted.
For the façades we have made a prototype of three bays,
and we have thermoformed the copies on a model reproducing
all the radii of the edifice. When creating some of the vaults
linking the two concentric façades, we had to build series
of deformable moulds and cast on the model.
Scale 1/100°,
dimensions
1m50x1m20
