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The new Palavela is Gae Aulenti’s reinterpretation of the Palazzo delle Mostre, also known as the Palazzo a Vela or PalaVela (literally the “Sail Palace”, on account of its particular shape), a building inaugurated on the occasion of the hundredth anniversary of the Unification of Italy in 1961 for staging shows and exhibitions.
The site – run by the company Parcolimpico – covers 29,400 square metres, of which 17,000 are outside and 12,400 inside, and can accommodate 8,294 people. The lounges measure 120 to 160 sq m, and there is a 220 sq m conference hall, 60 sq m multi-functional areas, a private internal car-park for 50 vehicles and a large parking area in front of the main building that can take up to 600 vehicles. The parterre covers 2,300 sq m and is converted into an ice rink in the winter.
The Palavela has so far been used mainly for sport, and is hailed as of the finest sports establishments in the world. Here are held the “great events on ice” (most recently, the ISU Figure Skating Championships in March 2010), and the skating rink draws 30,000 people a year.
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The Palavela will have a new image during the 2010-2011 season, however, when it will present itself as a “home of active entertainment” for all the family. Over the next few months, the Vela Place will feature rink-side refreshment and snack points, exhibition and commercial areas, a play area where children (aged 4 to 14 years) can enjoy physical activity mainly with video games (Move&Play), a skiing simulation zone where you can have fun and learn the basics of the sport (Skimagic), a recreation centre with games and services for young children, a Wi-Fi area and a TV zone.
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