The French Rugby Federation (FFR) has chosen the joint project from architectural companies Populous and Ateliers 2/3/4 for its new stadium. FFR President Pierre Camou said, "Today we have reached a milestone that embodies a strong ambition and a project essential for the FFR, allowing it to be independent and in control of its future." FFR VP Serge Blanco said, "The proposal made by Populous and Ateliers 2/3/4 proved to be the most appropriate to meet the objectives that we set for the medium and long term. It fits perfectly with the idea that we are creating a multi-purpose stadium for excellence" (
FFR).
MORE DETAILS: FRANCE TV SPORT reported the project is expected to cost around €600M ($808M). The stadium, to be located 25km south of Paris in Evry, "will have more than" 80,000 seats, a fully retractable roof and a pitch that slides outside to allow other events to be held in the facility. Initially, 21 architectural firms presented their project for the stadium. Now that Populous and Ateliers 2/3/4 has been retained, "the construction company still needs to be named." A decision is expected "before the end of March." The means of financing the stadium "have not been revealed, but the final decisions will be taken" at the end of '13 or start of '14 (FRANCE TV SPORT, 2/8). LE NOUVEL OBSERVATEUR noted Populous was responsible for designing the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, the Aviva Stadium in Dublin and the new Wembley in London. The "big goal" of the new stadium for the FFR is to allow it to "reap the rewards" of owning its own stadium rather than incurring the cost of renting the Stade de France. (LE NOUVEL OBSERVATEUR, 2/9).
