After an international design competition, sports venue specialists HOK and Barcelona-based TAC Arquitectes have been selected to design the new 10,000 seat arena for FC Barcelona, the New Palau Blaugrana. Replacing the old arena which was built in 1971, the building is estimated to open for the 2019-2020 FC Barcelona Lassa basketball season. The redevelopment of the Palau Blaugrana is part of a larger scheme by the football team to refresh their entire campus - including the famous Camp Nou stadium for which a shortlist including BIG, Populous and HKS was announced in September, with a winner expected to be announced in March. Read on for the architects' description of their Palau Blaugrana design.
From the architects: The New Palau Blaugrana will be built on the current site of the Mini Estadi, a 15,276-seat stadium located across from Camp Nou, the home stadium of FC Barcelona. As part of a comprehensive redevelopment of the existing city centre facilities at Mini Estadi, the highly flexible complex will comprise three areas that can operate independently: a 10,000-seat arena, an auxiliary court for 2,000 spectators and an ice rink.
“This site has tremendous potential,” said Daniel Hajjar, managing principal for HOK’s London office. “We look forward to working with the Barcelona City Council, the Barça technical teams, the residents of Barcelona and TAC Arquitectes to further develop and integrate our winning concept with the rest of the Espai Barça project and the city centre.”
“Our design creates an organic building geometry that supports a seamless progression between the New Palau, the annex court, the ice rink and the FCB Escola academy training facilities,“ said John Rhodes, a London-based director of HOK’s Sports + Recreation + Entertainment practice. “We’re excited about the benefits that this project will bring to FC Barcelona and to this cosmopolitan city.”
The design for the arena is flexible to accommodate different sporting events while meeting the requirements of Euroleague basketball. Seats are arranged close to the court, in a design that creates a dynamic atmosphere and wave effect. Support facilities, including shared locker rooms and services for athletes using the main and auxiliary courts, will be located on the same level. Plans also include 18 VIP boxes and two sky bars overlooking the court.
Architects
Location
Mini-Estadi - Palau Blaugrana, 08028 Barcelona, Barcelona, SpainProject Year
2019Photographs
