The conversion—one of the last projects that the Iraqi-British architect worked on before dying—wraps a landmarked structure in Rome with a futuristic second skin.

The Renaissance master, born 550 years ago, pursued various art forms with astonishing vision and relentless drive.

However, it was the Romans who fully embraced and refined the arch, turning it into a fundamental element of their engineering: by improving materials — especially through the development of concrete ...