The home of architecture and design in the Asia-Pacific

Get the latest design news direct to your inbox!

THINK FOOTBALL LOOKS GOOD ON YOUR LED TV? CHECK OUT ROME’S FUTURISTIC STADIUM!

Global design and consulting firm Woods Bagot has unveiled plans for a state-of-the-art modern-day Colosseum, which is to integrate environmentally conservative solutions and sophisticated technology to create a historically rich yet highly contemporary arena. Text by Lara Smetannikov.

THINK FOOTBALL LOOKS GOOD ON YOUR LED TV? CHECK OUT ROME’S FUTURISTIC STADIUM!


BY

April 8th, 2014


Woods Bagot Sport Design Leader, Dan Meis, says of the 52,000 seat-structure, “Stadio della Roma will be one of Europe’s most sophisticated stadiums, and will be ground-breaking in the inclusion of a significant ancillary of development[s]…”

roma6

Reminiscent of the Colosseum in it’s form, Stadio della Roma is to feature a highly contemporary steel and concrete bowl, wrapped in a ‘floating’ stone scrim which intimately encloses the seating area and natural grass pitch. The polycarbonate-clad roof provides complete coverage of seating, alluding to the Colosseum’s original fabric canopy covering its upper tiers.

roma

One of its more prominent features is the new Curva Sud or “curved stands”. A clearly delineated, separate section of 14,800 seats composed in raw, “muscular” architecture is to house AS Roma’s die-hard supporters. The proximity of seating to the pitch, far-reaching sightlines and unparalleled views are to create the ultimate, action-packed fan experience. Stadium-wide WiFi access and mobile connectivity are also to be implemented, thus amplifying the game-day experience.

roma3

The architecture of the stadium allows it to be easily transformed into multiple-stage configurations. Additionally, its retractable stage canopies, turf protection systems and rigging allows it to be a highly flexible concert venue with an expansion capacity of 60,000.

roma9

The stadium is also to implement an exclusive, super-premium club seating section of 600 seats. With direct access to a pitch-level club, spectators will be offered views of the teams as they enter and exit the pitch. To allow a dramatic entrance for players, the pitch level will feature a massive hydraulic lift, similar to the gladiator lifts of the original Colosseum.

roma5

The home of the 21st century gladiators, the football players, is to be located at Tor di Valle, south-west of the historic city centre. Says Meis: “Rome has an unparalleled architectural history… to build a new home for AS Roma and the most passionate fans in football is heart-stopping.”

Woods Bagot
woodsbagot.com

INDESIGN is on instagram

Follow @indesignlive


The Indesign Collection

A searchable and comprehensive guide for specifying leading products and their suppliers


Indesign Our Partners

Keep up to date with the latest and greatest from our industry BFF's!

Dynamic dazzle of radical restraint: Gaggenau’s 200 Series Flex Induction Cooktop

Dynamic dazzle of radical restraint: Gaggenau’s 200 Series Flex Induction Cooktop

Gaggenau’s understated appliance fuses a carefully calibrated aesthetic of deliberate subtraction with an intuitive dynamism of culinary fluidity, unveiling a delightfully unrestricted spectrum of high-performing creativity.

Small spaces, big flavours: Gaggenau’s culinary drawer enriches compact living

Small spaces, big flavours: Gaggenau’s culinary drawer enriches compact living

Within the intimate confines of compact living, where space is at a premium, efficiency is critical and dining out often trumps home cooking, Gaggenau’s 400 Series Culinary Drawer proves that limited space can, in fact, unlock unlimited culinary possibilities.

Powerful presence, silent service: Gaggenau’s Dishwasher 400 Series

Powerful presence, silent service: Gaggenau’s Dishwasher 400 Series

In design, the concept of absence is particularly powerful – it’s the abundant potential of deliberate non-presence that amplifies the impact of what is. And it is this realm of sophisticated subtraction that Gaggenau’s Dishwasher 400 Series so generously – and quietly – occupies.

Cooking from the heart, designing with precision: Chef James Won and Gaggenau’s culinary partnership

Cooking from the heart, designing with precision: Chef James Won and Gaggenau’s culinary partnership

To honour Chef James Won’s appointment as Gaggenau’s first Malaysian Culinary Partner, we asked the gastronomic luminaire about parallels between Gaggenau’s ethos and his own practice, his multidimensional vision of Modern Malaysian – and how his early experiences of KFC’s accessible, bold flavours influenced his concept of fine dining.

Related Stories


While you were sleeping

The internet never sleeps! Here's the stuff you might have missed