Parma and its design partner, Studio Zoppini, have unveiled initial plans for the redevelopment of the Stadio Ennio Tardini, with the Italian Serie A football club seeking to transform it into a true multi-purpose facility.
Under the banner of ‘A Stadium for Parma, inspired by Parma’, the club has detailed the current thinking for the project ahead of the expected entering of the final design to the Emilia-Romagna city’s authorities within a month.
Parma in February appointed Milan-based architecture firm Studio Zoppini to redesign its stadium, which has a current capacity of around 27,900 and first opened in 1923. In the coming weeks, the company will refine and finalise the project.
Parma said the new Tardini will be a “futuristic stadium”, which will become an example of innovation for decades to come. It will be designed to be a multifunctional facility that can be used by the community throughout the whole week, not just on matchdays.
“Stadio Tardini has stood in its place for one hundred years, a proud symbol of Parma and its people,” said Parma president Kyle Krause. “We recently began a journey to ensure that it remains here, reimagined and regenerated, for another century.
“The investment we are planning to make into the stadium is a significant one for Krause Group, and we are excited to share this vision with the people of Parma and football fans around the world. We aim to give the city of Parma a modern, multifunctional space that can be enjoyed by all, with the utmost attention being given to the needs of the neighbourhood.”
Parma in December announced it would submit a new proposal for the redevelopment of the Tardini, driven by the club’s American ownership group. Nuovo Inizio, Parma’s former owner, had started the process, founding Progetto Stadio Parma, an entity designed to oversee the Tardini project and its subsequent management. The Krause Group in September completed a deal to take over Parma, with Kyle Krause becoming the club’s new president.
Krause Group acquired a 90% stake in Parma, with Nuovo Inizio retaining a nine per cent share and Parma Partecipazioni Calcistiche, the company that brings together fans as shareholders, holding a one per cent interest. Krause Group also took control of Progetto Stadio Parma.
Alessandro Zoppini, a partner at Studio Zoppini, said: “Our project will give life to a sustainable stadium with a unique atmosphere: a renovated home, in which the fans will be close to the action.
“The new Tardini, which is inspired by the past and the history of Parma yet projected to the future, will provide more than 20,000 square metres of public space, open every day at the service of the community and, above all, the next generation, becoming a place of gathering and inclusion. Its unique and innovative nature will see it become a point of reference for future stadia and an icon for the city.”
Parma is seeking to secure permissions for the project that will allow construction work to commence within a year.
