Prussian Stadium plans gather steam

Article posted by Coliseum, May 19^th, 2020

Image: Drees and Sommer

The city of Münster in Germany had published a feasibility study in August 2019 (a structural and cost-estimating study) to gauge which user requirements of German sports club SC Preußen Münster at Hammer Straße in Hamburg, Germany, can be realized in the given framework vis à vis the expansion of Prussian Stadium.

In 2019, the City Council of Münster decided on the planning process and how to go about financing the expansion work of the Prussian Stadium. The plan provides for the stadium on Hammer Strasse to be expanded into a contemporary, second-division-compatible venue. Apart from this, a youth performance center is to be built in the Berg Fidel Sports Park.

Prussian Stadium is a multiuse stadium in Münster, Germany. It is the home facility of SC Preußen Münster. The stadium can sit 15,050 spectators.

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SC Preußen Münster is a German sports club based in Münster, North Rhine-Westphalia which is mostly known for its football section. The football team currently plays in 3. Liga which is the third tier in German football. Prussia Münster also fields teams in tennis, athletics, handball and fistball.

Frankfurt (Germany)-headquartered AS+P Albert Speer + Partner GmbH comprising 200 architects and urban planners examined how the construction of a stadium for 20,000 spectators and a youth service center – including the infrastructure – could be achieved structurally and within the investment budget previously decided by the council. A first indication of costs should also be made. The administration discussed the suggestions of AS+P Albert Speer + Partner GmbH with the SC Preußen Münster in several workshops held from time to time.

The basic planning approach of AS+P Albert Speer + Partner GmbH provides for a closed stadium structure, among other things, to prevent noise pollution. Apart from the existing main grandstand, the remaining three grandstands in particular will be expanded in order to accommodate maximum of 20,000 spectators. As part of the study, usage and requirement elements such as extra boxes, a so-called fan pub and the expansion of corner stands according to the basic variant are presented as development modules.

The planning approach by AS+P Albert Speer + Partner GmbH – as expressly requested by the association – continues to suggest accommodating home fans on the east grandstand and guest fans on the west grandstand. This corresponds to the current stock situation and gives fans of SC Preußen Münster access to the grandstand directly from the main entrance on Hammer Strasse.

In tandem with a new office building by the SC Preußen Münster and other facilities of the sports club in the intended construction area near the entrance, a new image of the stadium area can be formed, so that the project would be advantageous from the user’s point of view.

In contrast, as part of the development of the applicable development plan, various structure and usage assignment concepts were examined extensively and discussed in details with the security authorities as regards traffic management, in order to keep fans secure during games which entail risk.

Taking into consideration the legally effective development plan, this will result in the fact that bus parking spaces, parking spaces and a parking garage in the south of the area, accessible directly from Hammer Straße, will be assigned to the guest fans, and the home fans within the stadium will be moved to the (new) west grandstand. In this respect, the changed assignment request of home and guest fans proposed in the study by AS+P Albert Speer + Partner GmbH must be assessed as to how plausible is the same.

Grandstand angle

The existing grandstand offers just the basic seats, business seats and box seats as well as functional rooms and hospitality areas. The AS+P Albert Speer + Partner GmbH office proposes minor adjustments to the main grandstand in order to fit in the mediapersons. Since the economic health of a stadium is based primarily on the marketing of hospitality areas and box seats in various forms, expansion areas for these uses should also be taken into account when expanding the stadium.

The capacity expansion of SC Preussen Münster, as per the club authorities, is required as per the stadium expansion plans. AS+P Albert Speer + Partner GmbH proposed a new hospitality space in the opposite grandstand.

The west curve and the east curve can be designed as grandstands with standard seating and standing room. Rooms for kiosks and sanitary facilities are provided in the three expanded stands, which can be accessed from a covered distribution area below the stands. A supplementary suggestion from AS+P Albert Speer + Partner GmbH as requested by SC Preussen Münster is setting up of a so-called fan pub (in the east curve) and additional boxes above the hospitality segment in the opposite grandstand. Nevertheless, these investment decisions within the framework of the construction and operating model still need to be examined further.

If both the box area in the opposite grandstand and a fan pub do come up, the maximum capacity of 20,000 spectators in the basic building block will no longer be reached. However, this can be countered by expanding the other two corner grandstands. In the basic module, this is not initially intended by AS+P Albert Speer + Partner GmbH, but, rather a closing of the corners without grandstands, since the spectator capacity is exhausted and, given the high cost of the corner grandstands, economic efficiency outweighs the architecturally appealing picture of a continuous “stadium round”.

Catch ‘em young

From the 2nd Bundesliga onwards, a center for training young talent must come up. For this, various sporting and organizational rules must be followed and minimum requirements for the available infrastructure must be met. The current regulations of the German Football League (DFL) contain specific information, in particular on the number and equipment of the training grounds. These stipulations can generally be met at the Hammer Straße location, but, in sync with the training places of the 1st men’s team.

Cost angle

The AS+P Albert Speer + Partner GmbH office was also commissioned to develop a rough idea as to what the damage would come to in expanding the stadium. The cost idea presented is limited to the use of benchmarks that were determined for comparable elements in other stadium buildings for the respective masses, areas, numbers of items, etc. Presently, as per AS+P Albert Speer + Partner GmbH, deviations of up to 40 percent below or above the calculated cost value can be expected due to the low planning depth and the risks that have not been recorded. Under these conditions, costs for stadium expansion would come to 37.4 to 47.8 million euros (net, corresponds to 44.5 to 56.9 million euros gross) for the different variants including the associated facilities (parking decks, office), stadium guard and training grounds amounting to 86.8 to 97.2 million euros (net, corresponds to 103.3 to 115.7 million euros gross). The connection to the existing transport infrastructure is not included.

Based on this cost idea, it is now possible to differentiate and assign the various sources of finance (city, SC Preussen Münster, possible investors, funding) to the different building blocks of the stadium and the associated infrastructure.

“We are on our way like never before,” said an elated SC Preussen Münster President Christoph Strässer and Münster Mayor Markus Lewe as regards the results of the feasibility study presented for the expansion of Prussian Stadium.

“The submission of the feasibility study is another important step on the way to the realization of the stadium project. We know that even now the excavators will not roll immediately – but the process has started. We remain optimistic, especially as the common will for the conversion of the Preussenstadion to a modern, second division suitable venue even in these difficult times. The starting signal for the early construction of two new training grounds is also an important development for the club,” added Strässer.

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