Schiattarella Associati, a leading architectural firm based in Italy, said it has secured a key project for the modification of King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh commissioned by the General Sport Authority (GSA).

The scope of work includes refurbishing most of the stadium to help accommodate almost 50,000 spectators.

The Italian group won the contract beating competition from five other internationally-known architectural firms, said a company spokesman.

It is another achievement for the Rome-based firm in the Gulf region after the Celebration Hall in Riyadh, the Art Centre in Addirriyah and Quam projects in Qatar.

“Our proposal," Amedeo and Andrea Schiattarella state, "starts from the idea of solving the new functional requirements introducing shapes and volumes that not only are integrated into the existing architecture but enhance the value of the Stadium itself."

Therefore, the idea has been to realise an artificial hill at the base of the stadium in order to link, from a functional and formal point of view, land level with the concourse level allocating the bleachers, the spokesman added.

By highlighting the typical veils of the covering, representing an important urban landmark of Riyadh, the artificial landscape designed by Schiattarella Associati fulfils the task of introducing another element, perfectly coherent with the context that fits rational simplification in allocating the new spaces.

Underneath the artificial hill there will be almost 1,000 parking places, access areas to the West Stand that will be completely modified in order to implement spaces dedicated to spectators (about 12,000 sq m) and fit Fifa requirements, said the spokesman.

Between the hill and the stadium, a space with a green area will allow natural light to enter deeply inside lighting up the entrances, and act as a filter between the stadium and parking lots.

In the next few weeks, the project will be delivered to GSA to start the construction tender process, he added.-TradeArabia News Service