The home of football

The «Casa del Calcio», the new headquarters and technical centre of the San Marino Football Federation (F.S.G.C.) is located at Fonte dell’Ovo-Fabbrica, at the foot of the western slopes of Monte Titano (Republic of San Marino) and was designed taking careful account of the needs of users (professionals and visitors) and its location in an area of outstanding natural beauty. «The construction of the Casa del Calcio and the enlargement and technological adaptation of the pitch followed the approval of two project sections based on the Special Planning Scheme for the Montecchio Park service area, which concerns an area of more than 60,000 square metres,» explained engineer Romina Sancisi. «It involved improving pedestrian and vehicular routes and creating parking areas, a hospitality village, a games park and a system for recovering and reusing rainwater. The existing football pitch was enlarged to the UEFA regulation size and equipped with latest-generation natural infill synthetic turf. Four light towers provide 750 lux lighting.» The terraced stands (660 seats) also serve as a support for the backfill embankment formed between the pitch and the pedestrian walkway that runs along the edge of the wood at a higher elevation. The ultra-modern three-level «Casa del Calcio» building was constructed at the edge of the pitch in accordance with the morphology of the terrain. «The composition of the terraced levels and the horizontality of the facades reduce the overall height of the complex, while the terraces and roof gardens ensure the continuity of green spaces and pedestrian walkways with their splendid panoramic views,» continued Romina Sancisi. «The large glass windows maintain lightness and transparency and ensure that even inside the building users have the sensation of being immersed in the spectacular green surroundings in which the structure is located.» The building’s basement and the three above-ground floors have facilities catering both for the sports activities (changing rooms, infirmary, antidoping room, offices, toilets for players and public, storeroom for the teams, caretaker’s room, washroom, warehouse, etc.) and services relating to the federation, including a room for board meetings and a 100-seat multifunctional conference room. A brightly-lit room with a view onto the pitch allows parents to watch their children’s training sessions in comfort. The complex has a total of 1,920 square metres of covered surface area, 261 square metres of roof gardens and 60 square metres of sunscreens. All the exterior and interior floor and walls were covered using «HPR Pietra Regia» and «.it» series porcelain tiles from Ceramica del Conca. Particular attention was devoted to energy saving by adopting meticulous thermal insulation, selecting the appropriate types of glass and supplementing the water heating system with 150 square metres of solar panels. Water savings are promoted by the construction of a system for recovering white water and reusing it for flushing toilets, irrigation and other similar functions.