French Rugby

French choose British for new national Stadium

ESPN Staff

The French Rugby Federation (FFR) has chosen British architects to for their new 82,000-seater national stadium.

The British firm, which helped design the 90,000-seater Wembley Stadium and the 51,700-seater Aviva Stadium in Dublin, will work alongside French company Ateliers 2/3/4.

The companies beat rival bids, HKS and Foster and Partners, to design the venue at Evry-Essonne, which is 25km south of Paris. Their winning design includes a fully retractable roof and a pitch that slides outside to allow other events to be held. Construction is expected to start in 2014.

The FFR hope the new venue, which will reportedly cost around Euro 600million, will allow then to reap the rewards of owning their own stadium rather than incur the cost of renting the Stade de France.

Federation 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."

Vice-president Serge Blanco added: "The three projects were all of a high technical quality, combining innovation and aesthetics. But we had to make a choice. 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."

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