The Rocco B. Commisso Viola Park project received Second Prize in Category S1 – Stadiums & Arenas at the 2026 CITY’SCAPE Award, the international award organized by PAYSAGE in collaboration with the National Council of Architects, Planners, Landscape Architects, and Conservators.

The awards ceremony took place on September 18, 2026, at the Triennale di Milano, as part of the CITY’SCAPE Symposium. Category S1, part of the FSB Italy Sport&Play Special Award, is dedicated to stadium and arena projects and the relationship between architecture, sports, and landscape.

The award highlights the characteristics of a project in which architecture and landscape are conceived as parts of a single system. Located in Bagno a Ripoli, just outside Florence, Viola Park spans an area of over 26 hectares and was conceived as the sports center for ACF Fiorentina, organized according to a campus model designed for the men’s first team, the women’s teams, and the youth divisions.

The project treats the landscape as the defining element of the development. The sports fields and buildings are integrated into a green system that follows the contours of the pre-existing agricultural grid and the Roman centuriation system, preserving over 90% of the area as green space and providing for the planting of over 1,200 trees.

The architectural choices also reflect a desire to establish a balanced relationship with the surrounding context. The buildings, characterized by predominantly low profiles, feature exposed Corten steel structures, large glass surfaces, and roofs integrated with photovoltaic panels. These panels contribute to the complex’s energy production and rainwater harvesting, integrating functional and environmental needs within a single design strategy.

The Second Prize at the 2026 CITY’SCAPE Award further advances Archea Associati’s exploration of the relationship between architecture, territory, and landscape, recognizing Viola Park as a project in which the sports space serves as an opportunity to forge a new balance between nature, infrastructure, and contemporary architecture.