AS Roma has appointed Italian architectural firm Studio Gau to conduct preliminary work for its proposed new stadium project, according to multiple media reports.
Gau will conduct studies of the chosen Pietralata site relating to urban planning, transport infrastructure and geological issues, according to la Repubblica. Roma reportedly intends, once the preliminary investigation phase has been completed, to launch an international competition to select the designer of its new home.
Gau has prior ties to the Serie A football club, with plans for a 55,000-seat stadium having been drawn up back in 2009. However, this project did not advance and Il Tempo added that Roma intends to deliver a feasibility study for its new vision to the Municipality of Rome between the end of September and beginning of October, including a technical/economic plan.
Earlier this month, Roma confirmed plans to build a new stadium in the Pietralata district of the capital. In a statement, Roma said that the Roma Capitale administrative body “positively acknowledges” the willingness of the club to present a feasibility study to build a new stadium on the site.
According to Roma, the initial urbanistic examination carried out on the identified site did not highlight any obstacles to prevent the project. Confirmation of Roma’s plans came after it was reported in May that the club had issued the first draft of a project that would see a stadium with a seating capacity between 55,000 and 60,000 developed on a 47,000-square-metre plot of land owned by the Municipality of Rome.
The proposal marks the first significant move on a new stadium by Roma’s American owners, the Friedkin group, since the club in February 2021 dropped plans for a new stadium in the Tor di Valle neighbourhood of the city.
Roma had long held plans for a new stadium in Tor di Valle but a change in ownership at the club in August 2020 cast fresh doubt over the project. Following February 2021’s announcement, the club said it was still committed to exploring options for a new stadium at a number of sites.
The Stadio della Roma project was central to former owner James Pallotta’s long-held vision for the club, which has shared the Stadio Olimpico (pictured) with cross-city rival SS Lazio since it opened in 1953. The project, which was first put forward in February 2012, centred on a 52,500-seat stadium but was hit by a number of delays.
Roma is now seeking to deliver a new stadium in 2026, or at the latest in the club’s centenary year, 2027.
Image: DoubleJack92/CC BY-SA 4.0/Edited for size
Share this