Let us remind you that the united Russian-European architectural teams were a prerequisite for this competition. It is no coincidence that Russian architects have chosen GMP: this bureau is one of the generally recognized leaders in the design of stadiums and has already built 19 sports arenas. First of all von Gerkan, Marg und Partner are familiar with the problems of reconstruction of such structures - in particular, it is they who are responsible for the renovation project of the Olympic Stadium in Berlin. Dynamo Moscow was built 10 years earlier than its German counterpart and needs reconstruction not so much for ideological reasons as for functional and commercial reasons. The fact is that Dynamo should become one of the stadiums with which the Russian capital will be able to claim the right to host the European and World Football Championships. For this, the sports arena must not only be radically renewed, but also changed its functional purpose: Dynamo was built as a stadium with additional tracks for running and training, and now it must become exclusively football. Also, the technical task of the competition prescribed to design an additional multifunctional sports complex for 10 thousand seats, shopping and leisure centers with an area of about 20 thousand square meters. At the same time, the contestants were recommended to preserve Dynamo itself (at least the South Stand of the stadium, facing Leningradskoye Shosse) and the surrounding Petrovsky Park, and place new volumes on the site taking into account the high-rise multifunctional complex already designed in the neighborhood (VTB is also the developer of this facility, and the designers - TPO "Reserve" and SPEECH).
As the managing partner of SPEECH Sergey Kuznetsov says, one of the main criteria for work on the reconstruction of the stadium for the architects was a tactful attitude towards the monument. “It was possible to approach this very formally - to leave a piece of the wall and demolish the rest, but we decided to preserve the entire historical perimeter, as well as the location and dimensions of the old field,” Kuznetsov explains. “It seemed to us of fundamental importance that the first football arena of the USSR was preserved in its original form.”
This decision, in turn, predetermined the symmetrical layout of the renovated stadium. The center of the whole composition is the football field, along its perimeter, on the site of the former track and field athletics sector, stands are located, and on the site of the former stands there are foyers. Also, within the historic walls of the stadium, a "commercial periphery" appears - all kinds of shops, cafes, offices of football clubs - which then "spills out" into the underground level of the complex and beyond the boundaries of the monument. The latter is possible thanks to the ingenious design of the roof: it covers the entire amphitheater, slightly touching the existing stands, and its cantilever arches are supported by columns standing along the outer perimeter of the existing building. The roof, therefore, is much larger than the stadium building itself and includes spaces along its two "long" sides - the east and west facades.
In order not to violate the high-rise regulations, the architects make the roof very flat and give it a saddle-like shape, as if rushing it in the middle, exactly above the field, so that the silhouette of the renovated arena does not intrude too actively into the existing panoramas of the city. It should be noted that this technique completely justifies itself: both from the side of the Leningradskoye Highway and from the opposite Petrovsko-Razumovskaya Alley, the reconstructed stadium visually retains its previous outlines. The only thing that complements them is a smooth translucent arc flying over the constructivist pylons. On the sides, the glass roof retreats from the historical walls exactly that tactful distance, so as not to be perceived as an invasion, but as a new wardrobe item, only emphasizing the dignity of the existing "body". A kind of cloak, and invisible.
A similar roofing concept is used for a multifunctional sports hall: the main volume of the arena is covered with a transparent structure, which at first glance exists completely independently of it. True, since this building is much smaller in area and height of its neighbor, here the architects could give the roof not a biconcave, but a completely traditional convex shape. And if the main stadium from distant angles looks like a flying saucer with proudly upturned sides, then the small arena is a bean, sparkling in the sun, neatly planted in the neighborhood.
“We decided from the very beginning that we would not have both arenas in the same building,” says Sergei Kuznetsov. - Stadium design history spanning the period from 1990 to 2014. (FIFA Championship in Brazil) shows that the stadium and the small sports arena are always separated from each other and that this is the most ergonomic solution both from the point of view of spectators and from the point of view of the operation of the complex. Two buildings are easier to construct, and later easier to manage, than one mega-complex object. In addition, the separation of the stadium and the arena allows more efficient use of street areas for spectators, guests, VIP-visitors, press, etc."
The authors of the project make the slightest changes to the structure of the existing park. On strategically important directions - the exit from the metro station and two entrances to the territory of the complex from the Petrovsko-Razumovskaya alley - three small squares appear, the existing paths are re-bridged and supplemented by a network of new pedestrian paths, which allow distributing the flow of visitors as quickly as possible. An additional green area will be created on the roof of the underground parking, and the park itself will include an open football field intended for training and amateur competitions.
The project for the reconstruction of the Dynamo stadium, developed jointly by SPEECH and GMP, can be described as “very German”, since it is distinguished by the rationality of the overall solution and scrupulous thoughtfulness of all the details. However, without a thorough knowledge of the context and national features of the design of sports facilities, to which foreign architects are entirely indebted to their Russian co-authors, this project would hardly have been able to seriously claim victory in the competition.