For my blog, I thought I would stay topical with this week’s
'Big' news, more specifically, the football and the fact that England have only
gone and managed to qualify for the World Cup Finals in Brazil, following
Tuesday's 2-0 victory over Poland.
Now, before I get carried away with the success of
England and start booking my tickets to the finals, which are reportedly going
to cost the average England Fan somewhere in the region of £9,000, I thought I
would take a look at some of the construction work that is currently being
undertaken in Brazil, in preparation for the 2014 World Cup finals, primarily, the
stadiums that are under Construction or Renovation.
National Stadium - Estádio Nacional Mané Garrincha
(Capacity 72,788)
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| Artist Impression |
The stadium, (named after Brazilian Footballer Mane
Garrincha who won the 1958 and 1962 World Cup with the Brazil National Team)
was originally built in 1974, before being demolished in 2010 and rebuilt. The current
reconstruction was designed by Brazilian Architect Oscar Neimeyer, who is also
responsible for a large proportion of the National Monuments in Brasilia. The
Stadium is reported to have cost somewhere in the region of US$500 Million,
making it more costly per seat than the Cape Town Arena, the most costly
stadium of the 2010 World Cup.
The stadium was opened 18th May 2013, with a friendly
match between local sides Brasilia and Brasiliense, before Brazil played their
first game in the stadium on June 15th, beating Japan 3-0.
For those of you like myself, who use Autocad, you may
recognize the Estádio Nacional Mané Garrincha Stadium, as the stadium is
integrated into the start up screen for Autocad 2013 and therefore appears
across my screen on a daily basis.
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| AutoCad 2013 |
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| The Completed Stadium |
The stadium will play host to seven matches in the 2014
world cup finals
The only other stadium to play host to seven matches in
the finals is the refurbished Maracana
Stadium, Rio de Janeiro, over looked by the famous Art Deco statue of Jesus
Christ.
In preparation for
the 2014 world cup finals, this iconic football stadium, originally constructed
for the 1950 World Cup and once recognised as the largest stadium in the world,
hosting crowds of 200,000, has undergone a full refurbishment and renovation
programme, which involved the demolition of the lower ring of seats, the
construction of a new ring offering improved visibility, the expansion of the
access ramps and the replacement of all seating. The stadium has also been
fitted with a new roof complete with a rainwater collection system. The facade,
which has been listed by the National Institute of Historical and Artistic
Heritage, remains untouched. This stadium will host the 2014 World Cup Final.
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| Site: Maracana Stadium, Rio de Janeiro |
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| Site: Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais (Capacity 62,160) Status: Completed |
Among the 12
venues chosen to host the 2014 Wold Cup Finals, there are a number of other
stadiums currently under construction that are definitely worthy of a mention
in this blog.
Site: Manaus, Amazonas (Capacity 42,374) Status: Under Construction
Estimated Cost : US$ 246Million
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| Artist Impression |
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| Stadium Under Construction |
Site: Natal, Rio
Grande do Norte (Capacity 42,000) Status: Under Construction
Estimated Cost : US$ 185Million
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| Artist Impression |
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| Stadium Under Construction |
Site: Sao Paulo,
Sao Paulo State (Capacity 68,000) Status: Under Construction
Estimated Cost : US$ 375Million
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| Artist Impression |
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| Stadium Under Construction |
So with less than
8 months until the finals begin, there are a number of impressive stadia under
construction / renovation. The stadiums,
together with the South American Skill, Flair and Philosophy to Football and the
renowned Brazilian Carnival atmosphere, I for one feel that this World Cup will
certainly be a memorable World Cup.
Whether it is a memorable
performance from England, that remains to be seen.
(All Images Courtesy of Google Images)
Steve Murray
Senior Designer
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