Barcelona’s Camp Nou to kick off next year

Article posted by Coliseum, November 21^st, 2018

Image: MJR Group Ltd.

Spain’s FC Barcelona have revealed what the construction process of their ambitious ‘Espai Barca’ project will look like with a video simulation showing the club’s plans to revamp and expand their Nou Camp stadium and renovate its other installations, Reuters news agency reported.

The video shows how the Nou Camp’s capacity will be raised from 99,000 spectators to 105,000 and the installation of a roof covering the whole arena. Currently, three sides of the stadium are exposed to the elements, the report said.

Building work on the stadium will take place in the post-season over three years, beginning in 2019, so that the team can continue to play at the ground without disruption.

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Work on the new stadium is set to be completed by the 2023/24 season, with the club stating it will cost 360 million euros (about $420 million).

The club has already begun work on a new stadium for its youth and reserve teams, which is to be named after Dutch great Johan Cruyff and will be at the site of its training ground.

‘Espai Barca’ will also see the construction of a new arena for the club’s basketball team and green spaces around the Nou Camp.

Meanwhile according to Spanish media reports, the municipal group CUP-Capgirem have filed an administrative appeal before the High Court of Justice of Catalonia in an attempt to halt the ‘Espai Barca’ project while requesting that the space that will be left after the demolition of the basketball stadium, the Palau Blaugrana, become 100 percent public.

In a press conference on Oct. 24, the CUP detailed the allegations they have presented in their appeal, explaining that the project favours speculation, although they admitted that the neighbourhood does need urban renovation.

“We don’t agree with the requalification of sports ground on commercial land. The installation of an office building and a hotel are not part of our definition of economic dynamism of the public space of the neighbourhood,” the group said.

William T. Mannarelli, Director for Real Estate at FC Barcelona since 2015, will provide a detailed presentation on ‘Espai Barca’ including the redevelopment of Camp Nou at the Coliseum Summit ASIA-PACIFIC, May 15-16, 2019, Beijing, China.

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