On December 15 in Moscow, the Four Seasons Hotel hosted the Arena Design Forum: Sports Architecture Trends. The event was organized by the Tex-Style Association of Specialists in Textile Architecture and Membrane Structures and the SBK. Sport Business Consulting . LOMMETA Group of Companies became the general sponsor.
The conference was started by the chief architect of the city of Moscow Sergey Kuznetsov. He noted that special attention is paid to the development of the sports infrastructure in the capital. At the moment, Moscow is experiencing a boom in sports development. Now the city has 13,900 sports facilities, of which 33 new have been commissioned over the past five years. The main project in this area is, of course, Luzhniki, which had to preserve the historical part, and not grind everything into dust. According to Kuznetsov, this will be one of the best examples of the reconstruction of a cult sports facility in the world.
General Director, Chairman of the Tex-Style Association Andrey Moroz became the second speaker of the conference. He said that the purpose of creating the association was the possibility of a Russian company performing work at Russian stadiums. To do this, the association attracted foreign partners with rich experience. With the use of textiles, objects for mass sports can be transformed and cost much less. In addition, in the past 50 years, the chemical industry has taken a step forward with PVC, ETFE and PTFE materials that are stronger and more durable than steel.
Galina Gordyushina, Deputy Director for Design at Mosinzhproekt JSC, spoke about the reconstruction of the main arena of the future World Cup - the Luzhniki Grand Sports Arena. The historical appearance of the building, which is part of the soul of any Russian sports lover, will be preserved, but modern elements will be added to the facades, namely perforated metal panels with illustrations on sports themes. A unique system of cascading stairs will allow you to move freely between sectors. Inside the bowl, historical alleys, paintings, photographs and images of legendary personalities will be organized. At the same time, the stadium will meet all the latest requirements. It will be provided with high-density WiFi, Digital Signage and an electronic commentator system will work, and the media roof will display the main information about the matches for access from the observation deck on Vorobyovy Gory.
Erick van Egeraat, director of the design bureau Erick van Egeraat Architects, explained the principles of a sustainable approach to urban planning using the example of the redevelopment of the Feyenoord district in Rotterdam. By World Expo 2025, Rotterdam should become a city preaching sustainable growth, for which clusters uniting sectors of the economy will be promoted, and Feyenoord Stadium will become the first carbon-free stadium, and the area around it will be transformed based on the same principles.
Another session was given to manufacturers of materials for textile architecture. Vector Foiltec Founder Ben Morris, NOWOFOL Communications Director Sabine Münsterer, formTL Managing Director Gerd Schmid and Losberger International Relations Director Jean-Paul Senet talked about the history of their companies, the history of PVC, ETFE and PTFE materials and, most importantly, their practical unlimited use, from temporary modular structures to the largest arenas, in all weather conditions, in any shape and in any color.
Heads of stadiums from Russia and Europe, in a panel discussion led by Aleksandra Savraeva, director of development for the SBK magazine, figured out what was needed for the arenas to still meet the expectations and funds of taxpayers. Luis Silva, IMG Vice President, believes that smart operation comes from smart design. Kimmo Kivisilta, CEO of Hartwall Arena in Helsinki, noted that no stylish façade is economically sustainable without frequent events. Radik Minnakhmetov, the general director of Kazan-Arena, complained that his team was not involved in the work on the stadium from the very beginning, so some aspects of the business model had to be redrawn almost on the fly. Alexander Atamanenko, commercial director of FC Spartak, agreed with his Kazan colleague that the earlier the stadium operator is involved in the work, the better.
