Tender floated for new athletics facility in Budapest

Article posted by Coliseum, March 4^th, 2020

Image: Kiemelt Kormányzati Beruházások Központja

Construction tender has been floated recently for the new multipurpose athletics stadium at Budapest in Hungary. Entries are welcomed until March 18, 2020.

The proposed track and field stadium – The National Athletics Centre – will be built to host the 2023 World Athletics Championships, and will be able to fit in 40,000 supporters for the sporting spectacle. The capacity of the stadium will be reduced to 15,000 later for future events.

The new stadium will be built on the eastern bank of the Danube River on Budapest’s south side.

The architectural conceptualization was delivered way back in 2018 but only now the documentation is complete and construction permit is valid.

The contractual obligation is for four years which means that the project will be delivered in 2024 at the soonest. However, the World Athletics Championships are being planned for 2023. Which means the stadium will be given the modular stadium touch so that it can be enlarged or downsized even after actual completion. Hence, the capacity will come down to 15,000 later – 14.5 fixed and 22.8 thousand mobile seating seats.

During the 2023 sporting showpiece, the facility will have two continuous rings of seating. Of the 40,000 seats, 22,795 are temporary seats that will attribute for the upper stands. Once the event is over, these seats will be removed, leaving a permanent capacity of 14,531, which experts say is a “sensible decision” taking into consideration things in the long run.

Though the capacity factor is modest, the structure surely isn’t. Contractors will have to come up with a structure using 9,600 tons of structural steel, while the roof will cover 25,000 m2. The tender also covers reshaping of the Danube river front, infrastructural tasks and landscaping around the stadium, which is expected to become a major holiday destination for residents.

In December last year, the Metropolitan Municipality gave its conditional nod for building the stadium.

Experts say that instead of a stadium exclusively devoted to the world of athletics, the World Championship should be built as part of an al fresco recreational park (Ferencváros Leisure and Sports Park) which would be able to hold grassroots mass sports and cultural events.

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