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The Cascina Maggia Sporting, Cultural and Community Precinct - Brescia, Italy
The Cascina Maggia Sporting, Cultural and Community Precinct, Italy masterplan and development is an ambitious project led by LIMINAL Architecture and Centrum Stadia of Melbourne. As lead architect, LIMINAL has put together an international team, including ongoing collaborative partners and leading global design practice, Snøhetta.
Brescia’s factories and foundries make it the industrial capital of Italy. Topographically located on the flat, at the base of mountain ranges, the city’s history is legible in its architectural styles, spanning ancient political ideologies and shifts in civic identity. This layering of history tells a story of Brescian identity which is truly unique to the city.
Brescia has a strong and vibrant community. As the fifth Italian province by population, the city has an important mix of strong industry, employment and community. It benefits from its proximity to Milan and wider industry in the region.
The Cascina Maggia Sporting, Cultural and Community Precinct showcases the characteristics of Brescia, enhancing and embracing the city’s local and regional influences. A beloved confluence that reveals ancient stories with modern Brescian life. The precinct will celebrate Brescia’s deep culture, past and present identity and be a pertinent expression of civic future.
The meandering precinct encourages a variety of user experiences, democratic ownership and individual discovery, across a range of scale, formality and programming.
The area surrounding will include a mix of open space and appropriate development, taking into account the physical needs and restrictions of the site and refined to be sympathetic to surrounding residential and commercial amenities.
The development offers a world benchmark in cultural, sport and mixed-use projects that unravel the stories of place in an innovative, captivating and sympathetic manner.
Stage 1 includes the masterplan, restoration of the existing chapel and the Cascina Maggia Building and Gardens.
Stage 2 includes the development of a 33,000 seat stadium that conjures the swirl of a melting pot based on its pivotal location, green edge and urban fringe. There are many historic factors that have placed the existing football stadium in its current location and sport, in particular football remains central to the heart of the community. This stage also includes the development of a hotel, conference and exhibition facilities, food and beverage offerings, retail and performance venues.
Stage 3 includes an IMAX theatre, virtual reality arcade, open air ice skating rink, skateboard park and a 1,500 space underground carpark.
The development offers an integrated pedestrian and public transport interchange.
A high speed train connects Brescia to Milan, with the subway system already connecting the stadium to the transport grid. Lake Garda and the wider tourism catchment is close-by, an important factor for summer concerts which will attract many European tourists who spend their holidays in the region. This diversity of factors will support the development of the Stadium and precinct.
The construction budget for the project and precinct is $900 million.
The development is to open in 2023.
The Cascina Maggia Sporting, Cultural and Community Precinct development announcement attracted front-page attention in all the regions’ papers and other media.
