Project
Vittorio Grassi Architects
Client
BNL - Banca Nazionale del Lavoro
Period
2012 Concept Design
2012 Schematic and Detailed Design
2013 Completion
Gross Floor Area
1.290 sqm
Site Area
23.900 sqm
Construction Cost
2.3 m euro
Structural and Service Design
SPSK Associati Srl
The area of the BNL sports and cultural club in Rome extends beneath the shade of the pine trees growing along the Aurelian Walls, adjacent to the northern edge of the property, near Porta Ardeatina.
The complex, an example of architecture for sports facilities and workplace environments, features an Olympic swimming pool, tennis courts, gyms, a bar, a restaurant, and a training center dedicated to the bank’s employees.
The project provides for the refurbishment of the changing rooms, the functional adaptation of Villa Pestalozza, the restoration of the swimming pool pavilion, and the redesign of the outdoor spaces within the private park, through an intervention aimed at redeveloping the entire complex.
In particular, the villa redevelopment project includes the creation of a new restaurant accommodating 150 guests, overlooking an outdoor wooden terrace, as well as the construction of three new meeting rooms with a total capacity of 120 seats, strengthening the role of workplace architecture within the club.
The project takes advantage of the high-quality natural setting—an oasis of relaxation embedded within the urban fabric—to create convivial spaces that maintain a continuous dialogue between interior and exterior environments.
This integration enhances concentration and encourages productive training sessions, achieving a balance between sporting, recreational, and professional functions.
The use of large glazed surfaces and natural materials emphasizes the informal quality of the architecture and highlights the work carried out to redevelop the landscape surrounding the buildings and, more broadly, the entire park, strengthening the relationship between architecture, nature, and well-being.
The intervention is completed by a carefully developed interior and design project, which upgrades the quality of the tennis and swimming pool changing rooms, as well as by the landscape arrangement of gathering areas for children, contributing to an inclusive and functional environment for all user groups.
