Ramaldi Sports Park: Rethinking Sports Space Planning within the Urban Unit
Analysis of Sports Facilities Planning
Interventions in the northern half of the sports park focus on diversifying sports facilities to meet the varied needs of athletes. These interventions include the construction of a stadium designed to host rugby and football competitions, enhancing the park’s capacity to organize large-scale sporting events.
Supporting Structure and User Experience
A supporting building was added, comprising locker rooms and a covered stand, reflecting planners’ attention to improving the experience for both athletes and spectators, while providing a comfortable and suitable environment for various activities.
Specialized Activity Areas
The plan also allocated spaces for athletics activities, including shot put, hammer throw, and javelin, in addition to a designated archery area. This diversity of facilities demonstrates a commitment to designing a comprehensive sports environment that supports training and development across multiple sports within a single space.
Location and Spatial Expansion
The sports park is located at the heart of a residential unit, covering an area of approximately 5 hectares, making it an integral part of the urban fabric of the area. The original design of the park dates back to the 1950s and 1960s, as part of a comprehensive residential development project, reflecting the focus on providing public spaces for sports and recreation within a cohesive urban plan.
Future Developments and Modifications
Despite the ambitious plan that proposed the construction of multiple sports facilities, only some basic amenities, such as the football field and tennis courts, were implemented. The northern and southern areas of the park remained undeveloped, highlighting the challenges associated with fully realizing the planners’ vision in a dynamic architectural environment.
Lessons Learned in Sports Space Planning
This example illustrates how urban sports planning is influenced by multiple factors, including funding, social priorities, and the ability to execute the original architectural vision. It also emphasizes the importance of continuously reviewing plans to ensure optimal use of available spaces and support for various sports activities.
The New Stadium as a Spatial Organization Center
The new stadium serves as the primary structural element in the plan, due to its large scale and multifunctional requirements. Other activity areas are organized around this central hub, reflecting a systematic approach to distributing sports spaces to ensure the integration of various functions.
Integration with Topography and Supporting Structure
The supporting building is directly connected to the topographical intervention designed to accommodate the stadium, with its volume gradually revealed toward the southern end, which houses the main entrance. This entrance is coherently linked to a covered colonnade that facilitates access and enhances the user experience upon entry.
Access to Stands and Platforms
A large platform above the building was designed to provide access to the covered stand, positioned alongside the stadium to offer a comprehensive view of sporting events. This design reflects careful attention to both visual and functional flow, enhancing the spectators’ experience and allowing comfortable observation of various activities.
Organization of Interior Spaces
The building was designed to integrate multiple functional areas to meet the needs of both athletes and administration. This includes locker rooms, a multipurpose hall, administrative offices, a medical center, and various sanitary facilities.
The Central Role of the Interior Atrium
All these spaces are organized around a central atrium, a design element that reflects the geometric expression of the overall structure. This layout facilitates movement within the building and enhances clear sightlines for both visitors and athletes, while maintaining a logical coordination between different functions. Learn more about interior design principles for public buildings.
The Importance of Analytical Spatial Design
This model illustrates how interior design can support the efficiency of sports buildings through a logical arrangement of spaces and the provision of focal points that facilitate daily use. It also demonstrates how a central atrium can serve as a tool for spatial organization and the smooth flow of functions.
Structural Framework of the Stand
The stand’s roof relies on a supporting structure of reinforced concrete, consisting of a continuous prestressed beam supported by columns spaced approximately fifteen meters apart. This configuration ensures the durability and stability of the stand while allowing for a wide open space beneath the roof, showcasing advanced construction techniques.
Architectural Expression and Environmental Harmony
The cantilevered roof is composed of two slopes, giving the building a wing-like architectural form. This design not only emphasizes aesthetics but also harmonizes with the surrounding natural environment, including existing trees, and helps mitigate the temporal discontinuities that the site has experienced over the years.
Integration of Function and Aesthetics
This example illustrates how structural engineering can serve both functional and aesthetic purposes simultaneously. The framework provides protection and oversight for the stand, while the architectural form reflects the building’s interaction with the surrounding nature, enhancing the user experience and adding an environmental dimension to the sports space.
✦ ArchUp Editorial Insight
The Ramaldi Sports Park project provides a practical example of an attempt to integrate a diverse range of sports facilities within a limited space, with a logical organization that allows clear sightlines and functional flow between different activity areas. From this perspective, the emphasis on providing a central stadium and clear circulation axes around it can be appreciated, illustrating effective project planning.
However, certain constraints emerge that may limit optimal use of the space. The partial expansion of facilities, along with the undeveloped northern and southern areas, restricts the project’s ability to meet the city’s future needs and highlights the challenge of fully realizing the vision within a changing urban environment. Similarly, the strong focus on the central stadium and structured facilities may reduce flexibility in using spaces for diverse sports practices or informal community activities.
This project can be considered a learning base in the field of architecture and urban planning, illustrating the importance of balancing the design of organized facilities with adaptation to future changes in use. It also underscores the need to incorporate flexible strategies that allow the redefinition of functions and spaces when necessary, ensuring the project’s sustainability and its potential for development over time. Learn more about architecture competitions and related competition results for innovative design approaches.
