Architect Frano Bazalo on the potential of a Basin Reserve upgrade

As NZ20 brings attention to the Basin Reserve talk is building about the potential for an upgrade. 

Nick speaks to Wellington-born architect Frano Bazalo about the cost and likelihood surrounding a renovation building capacity, and bringing more sports into the reserve.

The St Patricks old boy is currently working out of London designing some of the biggest stadiums in the world, including one costing over a billion dollars in Saudi Arabia.

Nick finds out Bazalo's thoughts on the current structure, and the lack of other stadiums in Wellington - pointing to issues with Hnry stadium.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:07):
You're listening to the Wellington Mornings podcast with Nick Mills
from News Talk SEDB.

Speaker 2 (00:13):
We're lucky enough because I've got contacts in this game
to speak to a young Valentonian. Well, he's probably not
quite that young anymore. Frano Bizzalo, who is actually an
architect working on some of the stadiums, the biggest stadiums
in the world. And he's a Simpat's College old boy,
and we're going to talk to him right now in London. Frano,

(00:36):
good morning, it's here you go. I'm going great. How
are you going?

Speaker 3 (00:41):
Good? Good now?

Speaker 2 (00:43):
I'm ringing you late at night because I want to
know basically, first of all, tell me what you're working
on right now.

Speaker 3 (00:50):
Yeah, at the moment. So I'm working for a company
called Populas, So We've got a few bases around the
world working on yeah, all sorts of stadium an arenas.
At the moment, I'm in Saudi Arabia, which is keeping
me very very busy.

Speaker 2 (01:09):
Right now. Why I wanted to speak to you is
I want to know whether you think it's possible to
actually make the Basin Reserve into a say, a twelve thirteen,
ten thousand seat stadium that would be international class.

Speaker 3 (01:25):
Yeah, I mean absolutely. I think that's been sort of
a question. I think a lot of well Antonians have
had for yeah, for a while.

Speaker 2 (01:33):
Do you think it would be a good idea as
somebody that's worked on stadium lived in New Zealand driven past,
when you're going to college every day at the Basin Reserve?

Speaker 3 (01:40):
Absolutely, I think you know, for me, that's the best
sports ground you know in Wellington, but it is perhaps
lacking a little bit of a little bit of something.

Speaker 2 (01:51):
What sort of cost? And I know it's a stupid question,
but are we talking billions or we talking hundreds of
millions or what?

Speaker 3 (02:00):
That's a good question. I have been out of New
Zealand for a while. But it would really really depend
what you know, what you what you're doing. I think
you could it could be in millions, that could be
in pavillions, depending on you know, how far you go
with it. I think that would be the sort of
interesting point.

Speaker 2 (02:17):
Is it possible to build a multi purpose stadium so
you could play cricket, football, rugby, athletics even maybe.

Speaker 3 (02:28):
It's definitely possible. And I might be getting a little bit
controversial here, but I think the cat can tried to
do that, and I think that's ultimately it's sort of
downfall a little bit. I think it could have focused
on being a bit more of a you know, sort
of rectangular based stadium, but really sort of tried to

(02:49):
be a cricket ground as well, and ultimately it's perhaps
not the best sports stadium at all times for all codes.
So I think that would be something to be sort
of careful of, and it is. It's always difficult, you know,
telling different different sports and different shaped fields. For example,

(03:12):
in the Sydney Stadium, the Olympic Stadium that has gone
through a big transformation, you know, to make that a
rectangular stadium, So that would be sort of a challenge
if you're thinking about you know that's say the Phoenix
or something playing there. You know, you do end up
quite a distance away from the action potentially depending on

(03:34):
how you set up the you know, the field.

Speaker 2 (03:37):
Now you're not controversial or everyone in New Zealand talks
about Henry Stadium the same way. It's got a new
sponsorship you wouldn't know about, but it's called now Henry
Stadium the old Sky Stadium. What would be what would
be the difficulty in converting that to a rugby ground
or it's you know, a rectangual ground like you said,
and actually making the base and the cricket ground so

(03:58):
you've got one of each on either ends of the city.

Speaker 3 (04:02):
Yeah, I mean I think that's that's really what you know,
I would want, you know, as a Wellingtonian it is.
It would be tricky and there has been a few
conversions of stadiums which ultimately end up being effectively a rebuilt.
The example of that is the London Olympic Stadium. Most

(04:26):
a lot of people don't know this, but this was
almost completely rebuilt after the Olympics, so it could become
effectively the home of west Ham. But yeah, a lot
of work and a lot of rebuilt sort of has
actually gone into that, even though from the outside you
wouldn't think much of it. So, I mean it would

(04:48):
be a big, big task to redo that rectangular.

Speaker 2 (04:56):
Sorry to interrupt, but could we put a roof on
it as well? Or that are we talking a complete rebuild?

Speaker 3 (05:02):
I mean, you can do anything, neck but you know,
it does come with a price tower, doesn't it, And
you can you know you can with that, you know,
with the big oval pitch, you know, it would be
it would be a large roof, so it's a it's
a bit of a challenge, but you know things can

(05:24):
be done sometimes, you know you need to have that
challenge to really think and to see, you know, what
what can we do with this?

Speaker 2 (05:32):
Fredo, it's been great talking to I appreciate you staying
up a bit later at night to to talk to us.
It's an you're a great success story of the old
Dooley's down the road some Pat's College. So keep doing
what you're doing. And thanks for talking to us back
here in Wellington.

Speaker 3 (05:50):
I appreciate it. Nice to nice to hear from you.

Speaker 2 (05:52):
That's Frano Bizzalo. Now you know this is the local kid.
Done good. He's working on some of the major stadiums
in the world, based out of London. Little old Wellingtonian.
Isn't it great? Let's get him back to redo the Basin.

Speaker 1 (06:11):
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