5 successful restyling of football stadiums One for each European top championship (plus one)

The case of the Franchi stadium involved many people. Politicians, managers, fans, architects. Practically, it has attracted so many social figures into a public debate, because, in fact, it is a discourse that has more meanings. It is a question of deciding what to do with a significant, beautiful and historical structure, but also old, dangerous, and unfroyed. That is why, on the one hand, there are those who have pushed for its culling, while on the other, those who have organized conferences and petitions to prevent their discharge. But is restyling really the best solution in these cases?

Antonio Cunazza, direct della rivista online Archistadia, explains that: "The general key to reading is that, where possible, trying to renovate the stadium (even transforming it) must be one of the priorities. The watchword I am convinced is 'transformation', which does not exclude erasing/redoing, but does not even place it as a first or only choice". He continues: "The case of the Marseille Vélodrome is a paradigm of this approach, having been reborn by itself 4 times in its history, but always in line with its past. But restyling can also mean constant renewal, as for English stadiums: think of Old Trafford, Anfield, Villa Park, all continuously expanded, and partly rebuilt, and always with improvement steps and respectful of the identity of the place".

1 - Dacia Arena, Italy (Udinese Calcio)

From the past, in addition to Zico, one thing had made Udinese and its home games famous: the arch of the Stadio Friuli - a reinforced concrete curve of 200 meters, moreover walkable inside. Built in 1976 by architects Giacomuzzi and Parmegiani, Friuli hosted Udinese's golden age in the 1980s, the World Cup in Italy 90, and the European phase of the club of the first two thousand (the one with Guidolin on the bench). In 2014, however, the stadium underwent a historic turning point. Three sides out of four are deconstructed and dismantled, and until 2016, the plant remains only with the central grandstand, the most important, the one with the arch. The restyling of Friuli has been indicative of how an aesthetically beautiful and functional modification can be, without necessarily conditioning the entire structure. The club - which bought the facility by renaming it Dacia Arena after completion of the works - kept the most architecturally interesting part - the arch and its grandstand - and remade all other sectors.

Now, the stadium still has that indistinguishable stretch that has characterized it for decades, while around it, it is a modern system with colorful seats, LED illuminations and services included in the outside of the structure. Of the series "like an English stadium".