Vittorio Grassi designs fluid Italian stadium for disability sports
by Kim Megson | 16 Feb 2016
Milanese architects Vittorio Grassi + Partners have designed a fluid multipurpose building for the Italian city of Lamezia Terme, which will host international sporting events for disabled athletes.
The asymmetrical design for the Palazzo dello Sport is inspired by the pebbles found along the city’s Mediterranean shoreline. The distinctive shape allows for 8,000sq m (86,100sq ft) interior space to host a range of events – from sports events to concerts and conventions – with maximum access, visibility and acoustic quality.
“The form of the building is shaped and smoothed by the sea and by the winds like a stone,” said the architects in a statement. “The roof is raised on the surrounding embankment, looping around the tribunes, in order to optimise the emergency exits and the rapid evacuation of spectators after the event.”
The venue – which was commissioned by the municipality of Lamezia Terme – will be principally used as a venue for sporting events, specifically for disabled athletes. “The building has been prepared with specific facilities, dimensional requirements and furnishings to host sport at a competitive level for all category of users," said the local government in a statement.
The outer skin of the hall’s roof is made of thin steel elements and inflated air cushions, with a triple translucent membrane in fluorine-based plastic ETFE. This creates the effect that events inside the stadium are taking place beneath a huge air bubble, the appearance of which shifts with the changing light throughout the day.
The roof structure is designed to ensure energy efficiency. It maximises natural light, reduces heat gains during summer and heat losses in winter and exploits coastal winds to provide the natural ventilation.
Construction on the hall began in 2014 and is nearing completion.
Vittorio Grassi + Partners are working with constructor Al Engineering and local architect Nunzio Santoro on the project, which has a budget of €9.6m (US$10.7m, £7.4m).
Recipients of the new structure will be in fact disabled athletes, for which have beenThe ability of Arena to take part in the future of a sporty overall broader constitutes an unprecedented opportunity to promote virtuous dynamics of social and cultural development.
Vittorio Grassi Italy disabled sport Lamezia Terme architecture design
The roof design creates the impression events inside the stadium are taking place beneath a huge air bubble, the appearance of which shifts with the changing light throughout the day
Credit: Vittorio Grassi + Partners
The roof maximises natural light, reduces heat gains during summer and heat losses in winter and exploits coastal winds to provide the natural ventilation Credit: Vittorio Grassi + Partners
Milanese architects Vittorio Grassi + Partners have designed a fluid multipurpose building for the Italian city of Lamezia Terme, which will host international sporting events for disabled athletes. The asymmetrical design for the Palazzo dello Sport is inspired by the pebbles found along the city’s Mediterranean shoreline. The distinctive shape allows for 8,000sq m (86,100sq ft) interior space to host a range of events – from sports events to concerts
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