Donbass Arena

Donbass Arena
Location	Donetsk, Ukraine
Coordinates	48°1′15″N 37°48′35″E / 48.02083°N 37.80972°E / 48.02083; 37.80972
Broke ground	27 June 2006
Opened	29 August 2009
Owner	Shakhtar Donetsk
Operator	Donbass Arena
Surface	Grass
Construction cost	$ 400 million € 300 million
Architect	ArupSport[1]
General Contractor	ENKA
Capacity	52,518[2] (Football)
Field dimensions	105m x 68m
Tenants
FC Shakhtar Donetsk Euro 2012

Donbass Arena (Ukrainian: Донбас Арена) or Donbas Arena is a stadium with a natural grass pitch in Donetsk, Ukraine that opened on 29 August 2009. The facility is located in the center of the city, in the Lenin Comsomol park. With a capacity of 52,518 spectators, the Stadium hosts FC Shakhtar Donetsk matches and will host some matches in Euro 2012, it is as well one of the popular nightlife spots in Donetsk.

The initial estimated cost of the project was USD 250m. USD 30m has been allocated to set up a recreational park around the Stadium. The final cost of the project will reach USD 400m.^[3][4]

Construction and design

The construction was launched in 2006. The general contractor is a Turkish company ENKA. The Stadium was completed and opened in 2009. About 1600 specialists, mainly Turkish, were involved in the construction.

Donbass Arena was designed by ArupSport, who have also designed the City of Manchester Stadium (Manchester, England); Allianz Arena (Munich, Germany); and the Beijing National Stadium (Beijing, China). An exceptional engineering solution – the soaring roof effect – will make the Stadium resemble a flying saucer. The oval shape and the glazed façade ensure a memorable outlook. The Stadium is located near Regional Sport Complex Olimpiyskiy creating an elegant architectural ensemble. The roof of the Stadium slopes from north to south matching the landscape and contributing to the natural lighting and airing of the pitch. The external lighting makes the Stadium shine at night.

Opening

The opening event

Construction site in August 2007

The Donbass arena was completed ahead of schedule, but the grand opening was delayed until 29 August 2009 to coincide with the Ukrainian holiday of Miners Day, as well as Donetsk City day. Donetsk is in the Donbas region, a mining region, and the date was chosen for its symbolism. The prime tenants of the facility are named Shakhtar Donetsk ("Donetsk Coal Miners").

American Pop/R&B singer-songwriter Beyoncé Knowles performed a show from her I Am... Tour on the opening night of the new stadium. It was Knowles' first performance in Ukraine.^[5] Beyoncé performed her famous hit Halo to honour the memory of Michael Jackson, who would have had his birthday on this day.

Many state officials attended the show designed by K-events Filmmaster Group. The opening ceremony was awarded as Event of the Year getting the Stadium Business Awards on June 18, 2010 in Dublin.

Shakhtar Donetsk's first match at the stadium was a 4–0 victory in a Ukrainian Premier League 2009–10 Round 8 fixture on 27 September 2009 against FC Obolon Kyiv.^[6]

The day before opening

Euro 2012

Donbass arena was included in the official bidding project submitted by Poland and Ukraine for hosting UEFA Euro 2012. The stadium will host group stage games and one quarter-final and one semi-final game. Unlike most new stadiums being built in Poland and Ukraine, Donbass Arena was not initially intended for that venue.

Other uses

The project of new stadium "Donbass Arena" was conceived long before the Ukraine got right to the final tournament Euro 2012. Therefore owner of the stadium has considered the possibility of daily use of the arena. "Donbass Arena" includes 3 restaurants, lounge-bar, fan cafe, fast-food outlets, retail outlets, fitness center, corporate boxes and even first aid rooms. The Stadium as well provides facilities for corporate events - presentations, press conferences, celebrations and concerts. Stadium tours are in the list of distinctions. The general concept of the tours includes the insight into unique features of Donbass Arena, a visit to footballers’ rooms and FC Shakhtar Museum and, finally, a drop at FC Shakhtar brand shop for souvenirs.

Facts

Front glass façade

• The total area of the construction site (including mobilization areas) is 254,907 m²
• The land (including pitch), where the Stadium is located, is 46,780 m²
• The height of the new stadium is 54m from pitch level to the top of the roof.
• There are 227 lavatories with 471 toilets and 333 wash basins.
• Over 120.000 м³ of concrete were poured during construction of the Stadium
• Approximately 4300 tonnes of steel were used for construction
• Approximately 3800 tonnes of steel were used for the roof structure.
• Total glazing area is approximately 24.000 m²
• The total area of the tiers is approximately 70.000 m²
• The size of the football field is 105 × 68 m (344 × 223 ft), and 7,668 m² (82,538 sq ft) natural turf will be used with 2,201 m² (23,691 sq ft) synthetic turf

Gallery

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  The Roof of the Stadium

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  The Donbas Park

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  Main Entrance to the Arena

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  Inside of the Arena

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  The Grand Opening

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  Fireworks

References

1. ^ . http://www.arup.com/Projects/FC_Shakhtar_Stadium.aspx. 
2. ^ http://www.uefa.com/MultimediaFiles/Download/StatDoc/competitions/UCL/01/67/63/79/1676379_DOWNLOAD.pdf
3. ^ Donbas Arena Ready to Open
4. ^ Donbass Arena: More than Elite
5. ^ Beyonce to perform at the opening of Donbass Arena
6. ^ New Shakhtar stadium opens doors

External links

• Donbas Arena official website
• Six webcam views of the Donbas Arena
• Rinat Akhmetov: The new stadium’s name is Donbas Arena
• Wikipedia Donbas
• Donbass Arena Euro 2012 Guide