Brazil 2014 Countdown: Topping off at Porto Alegre’s stadium revamp

Deadlines are tight for the last stadium projects to be completed in readiness for FIFA World Cup 2014 in Brazil.

Deciding to refurbish rather than build new is a difficult choice. In Brazil many of the stadiums date back to the late Sixties and are technically redundant by today’s standards. However, it’s not easy to remove these cathedrals of sports which hold the memories and history of Brazil’s passionate fans.

In Porto Alegre, the makeover of the 37-year old Beira-Rio stadium (pictured ) is nearing completion. The project began in April 2007 with the radical design incorporating the first PTFE roof proposed in South America. This brought its own challenges as did the matching of the ‘old and the new’ with a state-of-the-art roof, cantilevered VIP boxes, all fitted to an existing concrete structure almost four decades older.

LEARN all about the project from lead architect Fernando Balvedi, Director, Hype Studio exclusively at TheStadiumBusiness Design & Development Summit 2013. See the full speaker line-up here.

Thanks to Fernando for the photo. Here’s how it will look when finished.