Rome Architects Vice President Raises Concerns Over New Stadium Projects in Pietralata and Flaminio
Rome, March 11 – Lorenzo Busnengo, Vice President of the Order of Architects, Planners, Landscape Architects, and Conservators of Rome and its province, an expert in urban and architectural planning, as well as stadium and sports facility design, has weighed in on the two proposals to provide new stadiums for AS Roma and Lazio. His remarks, made yesterday, shed light on critical issues surrounding both projects, emphasizing strategic vision, mobility, and historical preservation.
Pietralata Stadium: Mobility and Integrated Vision Under Scrutiny
AS Roma has proposed constructing a new stadium in Pietralata, an area originally designated for the Eastern Directional System (SDO) but now undergoing various transformations. These include the new BNL headquarters, the Tiburtina station, a Sapienza University student residence, the Rome Technopole, and the new RFI headquarters. Busnengo stressed the imperative for the new stadium to integrate spatially and functionally with these existing and developing interventions, as well as with the Pertini Hospital.
However, Busnengo expressed several doubts regarding the new stadium for the Giallorossi. "To date, a comprehensive and integrated vision for the quadrant, including the planned complementary works, is not entirely clear," he stated. He further emphasized the need to analyze mobility and modal split to address the impact on transport, particularly sustainable mobility, within a synergistic framework. "At the moment, we do not believe that these evaluations have been thoroughly explored in all aspects. Each project has proceeded somewhat independently, when in fact, once completed, they will all be part of a rather complex system for the life of the neighborhood in terms of livability, service provision, use of green spaces, enhancement of archaeological evidence, and enjoyment of social spaces."
Flaminio Stadium: Monumental Constraints and Archaeological Finds
Turning his attention to the Flaminio Stadium and the project presented in mid-February by Lazio club president Claudio Lotito, Busnengo highlighted the significant challenges posed by its historical status. "It must be said that the facility designed by Nervi is a monument of modern architecture. We are not dealing with a free plot of land as in Pietralata, but with a monumental architecture protected and constrained by the Cultural Heritage Code, with overlapping protections also due to a landscape constraint covering the entire Flaminio quadrant," explained Busnengo. He also pointed out the archaeological aspect, noting that a necropolis was discovered near the stadium.
"It is evident in this case that the possibility of transformation as envisioned by S.S. Lazio is not compatible with the regulatory framework of protections," he asserted. Even the construction of a new ring appears highly complex because Nervi’s original design unity must somehow be guaranteed. "We have read that the new structure will not touch the pre-existing one; in fact, it will be supported by pillars that will be founded outside the current building plan of the Flaminio in areas where the possibility of archaeological finds is practically certain and on which the Superintendency has been very clear already during the Roma Nuoto project."
Specific Constraints and Mobility Issues
Archaeological finds are not the only consideration for the stadium, which is already subject to numerous constraints. "To build the second ring, Lazio has planned the demolition of the main grandstand roof, which is one of the most valuable elements of the stadium’s design unity, subject to a series of specific constraints and particular protections, making its removal difficult – if not impossible – to foresee," Busnengo stated. While acknowledging that some might argue for flexibility in modifying constraint decrees, he stressed that "with current regulations, one can only think of a refunctionalization or philological restoration, enhancing but not distorting, a jewel of Roman architecture recognized worldwide."
Mobility issues would further complicate an expansion. "The undertaking of expanding the facility from the current 24,000 to over 50,000 seats appears extremely complex also due to mobility issues, considering that Lazio’s proposal envisages the transformation of at least that portion of the Flaminio neighborhood into a limited traffic zone for approximately 8 hours (from three hours before to three hours after the match) on match days."
Busnengo emphasized that the Biancocelesti’s project cannot disregard an assessment of its impact on the entire Flaminio quadrant, "so rich in qualifying elements such as the Maxxi, the Auditorium, the future Science Museum, the Olympic Village, Villa Glori, the Ponte della Musica, and the Lungotevere with the Foro Italico on the other bank." He also highlighted the high residential density around the facility to be redeveloped. Finally, as a professional order, Busnengo found it "our duty to emphasize that announcements of imminent collapses, analogous to the Morandi Bridge, if not supported by detailed scientific evidence, are merely alarmist, and we would never want certain statements to have the sole purpose of attempting to consolidate partisan positions."
Source: https://roma.corriere.it/notizie/cronaca/26_marzo_11/stadi-parla-lorenzo-busnengo-vicepresidente-ordine-architetti-di-roma-a-pietralata-non-e-ancora-chiara-la-visione-strategica-i-61bbd193-9242-41f9-af3a-46d863ffexlk.shtml
