The Next Generation Sports Stadiums and Venues All Over the Planet Are Adapting to the New Economic Times

SPECIAL REPORT | STADIUMS & VENUES

The next generation Sports stadiums and venues all over the planet are adapting to the new economic times. Big or small, new or old, the watchwords of any construction or renovation are now legacy and sustainability.

By Eoin Connolly

The argument does not always hold reconstruction naturally place an onus true, but there are times when the on developers to take a more responsible best solutions are found in adversity. approach towards building practices. While Though it has generally proved resilient sporting venues may only make up a small through the global economic crisis, the stadium proportion of the total activity in the design industry has been confronted with its construction industry, as high-profile closed- own worst excesses – particularly in Beijing and loop projects they are ideal test cases for South Africa, where some of the most striking developing best practice. new venues of the 21st century have yet to find This has been recognised by the Brazilian an adequate long-term purpose. With one of architecture firm Castro Mello Arquitetos, who the busiest decades of all time ahead, subtle yet have led the Copa Verde initiative “to integrate fundamental change has come. Circumstances green, sustainable design, construction and have pushed legacy and sustainability to the technology into all aspects of building, be they foreground in almost every project. for principal or supporting infrastructure,” for As austerity measures bite in several the 2014 Fifa World Cup. Hector Vigliecca markets, the notion of the sporting venue of São Paulo-based Vigliecca & Associados as a municipal property looks set to be concurs with this idea, adding that “contrary to seriously threatened. For major sports teams the popular belief, the scale of a stadium allows and organisations, this is both a burden for sustainability practices in which the cost and a boon – but an increasing number are increases are insignificant given the benefits at coming to grasp the advantages that come the administration of resources consumption.” with stadium ownership. In Italy, soccer club In many cases, temporary and modular Juventus’ new project has been compared technology can provide useful options to by the club to venues in England. A more alleviate the problems inherent in large- illuminating parallel is provided by the MLS, scale stadium construction. Daniel Cordey where clubs have long been encouraged to is the market chief executive of Nüssli, a move from stadiums owned by NFL teams or Swiss supplier of such facilities who acted the state into more modest – but impressive as consultant on both Russia and Qatar’s – purpose-built facilities that can be built into successful bids for the Fifa World Cup. He their own commercial strategies. believes that the use of modular facilities “will Worth noting amidst the upcoming rush become standard” in any rounded plan for a of construction is the fact that Cardiff’s major event. As modular technology becomes Millennium Stadium and the Stade de France increasingly sophisticated, clients are finding in Paris will be key venues for major events more ways of putting it to effective use. in 2015 and 2016; a number of games in the “If you see what happened in South Africa,” Rugby World Cup will be played at the former he explains, “in some of the sports venues ground, with the latter staging the final of the seat capacity was, basically, artificially Uefa Euro 2016. Both were built in the late increased to meet the World Cup mode, and 1990s, but owing in no small part to a clarity of then has been decreased afterwards to create purpose in the planning stage, both continue to hospitality facilities instead of seats. So you offer advantages that are hard to find elsewhere. can adapt these venues to the revenue stream, High volumes of demolition and and there are many opportunities to adapt

German firms Stadiumconcept and ArenaCom have conceived a 65,000-seater floating off-shore stadium. Approaching the size of the giant cruise liner RMS Queen Mary 2, the stadium would be founded on a large floating disk and constructed using renewable materials. It would include 180 executive boxes to new functional requirements or operational like cycling’s UCI and skiing’s FIS to “offer vessel and quite how it would be transported. requirements, if there’s a new owner coming in more value” to sponsors and spectators. What Nevertheless, it is an example of the kind and taking over a venue.” excites him most, though, is the prospect of of malleable thinking which may come to For smaller organisations – such as lower moving entire stadiums to create regional dominate the industry in years to come. It is league European soccer clubs – building a sporting legacies and give every country the easy to guess at the possible customer base for modular element into a stadium can help hope of being a tournament host. such a venue – island and coastal states which facilitate a business plan responsive enough Pushing that idea to its logical boundaries, are cash-rich and land poor – and there is to on-field ups and downs. “I think it is a architects at German firms Stadiumconcept another, nobler motivation behind the concept. trend to have a facility which offers flexibility and ArenaCom have conceived a 65,000-seater A floating stadium, argues chief designer in use,” says Cordey. “You have the top tier, floating off-shore stadium. Approaching the Peter Knoebel, could “be an extraordinary the top clubs – they know they will have an size of the giant cruise liner RMS Queen symbol of fair play in the sense of global attendance which is big, and they know the Mary 2, the stadium would be founded on understanding – not only for the game of revenue streams very well, and they know a large floating disk and constructed using football but also the global community.” they will be consistent,” he says. “But there renewable materials and sustainable practices. Over the next dozen pages, SportsPro will be are many other clubs where this might There would also be room available for 180 profiling ten of the projects being completed change during their lifespan, so they need VIP boxes and areas, office space for Fifa and over the next ten years which we believe can more flexibility in their infrastructure.” local organising committee members, as well have a lasting effect on stadium and venue Nüssli have built complete temporary as an opulent range of hospitality features: a construction and management. No attempt stadiums for second-tier German soccer hotel, a casino, a shopping centre, restaurants has been made to impose a qualitative ranking club Fortuna Düsseldorf and Canadian and a fitness centre. An option to extend the of the venues in question. Rather, the list Football League team BC Lions, along with capacity to 80,000 seats is also mooted, as is a can be viewed as giving a cross-section of the Vancouver Whitecaps, while their usual permanent roof and, betraying its inspiration industry responses to prevailing challenges. The homes were unavailable, and Cordey sees a as a stadium solution for Qatar 2022, it is wisdom of each one can only be the subject growing role for these kind of venues in the suggested that it could be used in the desert. of speculation at this point. Whatever their future. High-quality temporary seating, he All this may seem fanciful; tellingly, no real respective fates, collectively they seem certain adds, is improving the ability of organisations indication has been given as to the cost of the to alter the landscape in more ways than one.

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