Replacing the existing Stadium Governador José Fragelli, the new Arena Cuiabá, designed by GCP Arquitetos, is aimed at being an instrument of urban renewal and a legacy for future generations. By transforming this area, which is currently far away from it’s major potential, they have created a landmark park for sports, culture, education and leisure to the Mato Grosso State capital, Cuiabá. Occupying an area of approximately 300,000 sqm, the unusual Arena´s bowl footprint, with four open corners, is the result of a design strategy, which allowed the solution of several issues, such as giving the desired flexibility of a smaller capacity Arena for the legacy mode and local environmental constrains. More images and architects’ description after the break.
Due to the fact that football pitch needs to be built in a strict North/South orientation, to avoid glare on cameras during TV matches transmission, the Architect’s had to work out an innovate solution for one of the local main concerns: Cuiaba´s very high temperatures. By chopping out parts of the grandstands on the four corners, the scheme guarantees that wind will always cross the Arena on the main terraces level. Luxurious landscape with local species is used on the open corners, helping to attain efficient thermal convections.
The Arena will have basically five operative levels and the roof level. The projects program attends all FIFA and European Standards such as Football Stadiums Technical Recommendations and Requirements, Space Requirements by FIFA and Guide to Safety for Sports Grounds. This new equipment will have capacity for 42.263 spectators, and it is being planned that after the 2014 World-Cup, the capacity will be reduced to 27.000 spectators in a legacy mode, through the partial dismantling of the North and South grandstands and their roofs. They are composed by steel structure and precast concrete terraced parts, assembled in screwed modules, which will permit the dismantling and reassemble in another public equipment, spreading the legacy effects to other Mato Grosso State cities.
For the capacity reduction, rationalization and construction cost feasibility, the Arena bowl was conceived in four separated modules, with similar characteristics in groups of two: East and West; North and South respectively. The bowl main structure is designed in modules of 8,0 x 8,0m precast concrete; while the disassembled parts of these elements and their respective roofs will be built in a modular steel structure. Each roof will have a supporting structure composed by a steel porch framework. The roof will be composed of a steel deck layer covered by thermal insulation with condensation barrier and a top TPO membrane finishing. The ceiling will be in fire-resistant PVC membranes. The external envelope is made by vertical steel porches, assembled to the pre cast concrete columns. The external “skin” of the envelope is made of waterproof PVC membrane combined with certified wood louvers, propitiating excellent cross-ventilation to the Arena.
Though water may not be a big matter due to the location of this project, close to an important hydrographic basin well served by rivers, the Arena has three combined systems in order to reduce water consumption. The rain water will be collected and storage. The domestic waste water will be treated in a proper new plant and the treated water will be also storage. All the treated water will be used for toilets, football pitch irrigation and air-conditioned system needs. The irrigation of the football pitch will be also filtered and storage for re-usage as many times as possible. These integrated systems will save more than 40% of water.
All installations – hydraulic, electrical and mechanical – of the Arena will follow the strictest environmental and energetic efficiency recommendations, since it will be LEED certified. The energy consumption on design phase is reaching 14% reduction. The Landscape area will be composed only by native species of “Cerrado”, Atlantic Forest and Amazon Forest, since this region integrates these three important Brazilian bio systems. This design decision allows easy species adaptation, reducing irrigation and represents an opportunity to explore environmental education and awareness.
Architects: GCP Arquitetos Location: Cuiabá, Brazil Team: Bárbara Fornari, Bruna Tosetto, Daniel Mariano, Francisco Abreu, Janaína Ortolani, Lilian Frige, Silvio Segantini, Taís Miyake, Tomás Gioia Brunoro, Sergio Coelho (author); Adriana Oliveira , Maurício Reverendo (co-authors); Alessandra Araujo (design and sustainability project manager) Interior Design: Sandra Ruiz e Shintaro Arakawa Specification Writer: Tecspex MEP Engineering: MHA Engenharia Steel Structure – Conceptual Design: Sinclair Knight Merz (England) Steel Structure: Ponto de Apoio Infrastructure, Drainage and Paving: Interact Engenharia Crowd Management: Steer Davies Gleave (England) Concrete Structure: EGT Engenharia LEED Consultancy: CTE Landscape Design: KMKaiser Lighting Design: Acenda Signage Design: OTM Design Phase: June 2009 / February 2010 Construction Phase: March 2010 / December 2013
