Gewiss Stadium second phase work underway

Article posted by Coliseum, July 2^nd, 2020

Image: Atalanta Bergamo

The second phase work of Gewiss Stadium at Bergamo in Italy got underway recently, when the building site for the construction of the UBI Banca Tribune began.

The Gewiss Stadium in Italy serves as the home arena of Atalanta Bergamasca Calcio and enjoys 21,300 seats. Once revamp work is over, the venue’s capacity will increase to 23, 370. UBI Banca is an Italian banking group, the fifth largest in Italy by number of branches. Atalanta Bergamasca Calcio, also known as Atalanta, is an Italian football club based in Bergamo, Lombardy. The club plays in Serie A, having gained promotion from Serie B in 2010-11.

After the construction of the new Curva Nord Pisani (which opened on October 6, 2019 for Atalanta-Lecce), work got underway on repurposing a new sector of the Gewiss Stadium: The project foresees that after the strip out works on the UBI Banca Tribune, pulling down works will follow, barring the facades, which will not be affected by major structural changes.

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The area in front of the facility will also undergo changes, with the redecoration of the parking area.

Explained Francesco Valesini, Council Member for the Urban Redevelopment of the Municipality of Bergamo, “Thanks to the work carried out in the last few months by the municipal offices as well as the fundamental commitment of the club –the second lot work has got underway, which will involve a significant section, for its relationship with the avenue, of the sports facility, for a redevelopment that will benefit both the fans and the whole City. This is truly a crucial and unique period in the history of the Nerazzurri club and the evolution of the Gewiss Stadium has mirrored the sporting results of Atalanta.”

Remarked Roberto Spagnolo, Atalanta B.C. Chief Operating Officer (COO) and Sole Project and Works Manager for Stadio Atalanta, “The aim is to complete the work in a few months, but we will have to pay close attention and therefore comply with any decisions made by the relevant bodies related to the evolution of COVID-19.”

“At present, the matches are played behind closed doors, but obviously any further Governmental provisions on sports events may require assessments on the timetable of the Gewiss Stadium construction site. For these reasons, the work will be scheduled weekly. The UBI Banca Tribune construction work will also be stopped during the First Team’s matchdays at the Gewiss Stadium,” Spagnolo added.

Gewiss Stadium rewind

Atalanta asked Milan design firm De8 Architetti to redesign their stadium. It’s the same design practice that had previously worked on refurbishing two current stands and Atalanta’s training center. While officially the project got off the ground after the stadium was sold to Atalanta in 2017, preparations were on earlier as well.

De8 Architetti did not alter existing, historical facades and roof of the two stands along each side. This meant the need to fit in more people within each end, for the first time created in rectangular form, sans a running track.

In order to reach the anticipated 24,000-seat threshold, the stands’ height rises towards the end. New sections will have 21 rows near the historical stands and grow to 37 at full height, retaining single-tier layout.

Due to spatial constraints and architectural requirements, the stadium will boast simple yet elegant outer form. Covered with ETFE cushions in grey colors, it will only have light touch of black and blue.

A large public plaza of over 6,000 square meters will be created in front of the south stand, with significant commercial floor space. To give more elbow room to the public, turnstiles are hidden under upper rows of the stand itself. The € 40 mln facility will enjoy underground parking.

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