Fuksas's Nuvola Congress Center Finally Opens in Rome

The Nuvola, Massimiliano Fuksas's controversial congress center in Rome's EUR district, was completed on June 30, 2016, after 18 years from the initial commission and 8 years of construction. The project faced bureaucratic delays, 12 design variations, a 4-year wait for a building permit, and a 10-month halt due to the contractor's financial collapse. The official name will be revealed at the inauguration on October 29, 2016, broadcast live on Rai. The center will be fully operational by January 2017. The complex comprises three elements: the Nuvola (a steel-and-glass auditorium for 1,800 people), the Teca (a container volume with meeting rooms and a 9,000 sqm plenary hall), and the Lama (a 55m-high tower housing a 439-room hotel). Total volume is 281,000 cubic meters, cost nearly €300 million (plus €24 million in architect fees), with a steel quantity three times that of the Eiffel Tower. EUR S.p.A. President Roberto Diacetti stated the center will position Rome as a global congress capital, while CEO Enrico Pazzali estimated an annual turnover of €350 million. The exterior landscaping, including a public garden along Via Cristoforo Colombo, remains to be completed.