The Camp Nou Stadium in Barcelona - Case Study Example

Introduction The Camp Nou Stadium in Barcelona is one of the biggest stadiums ever built in the history of football. Nou Camp is a football stadium based in Barcelona, Catalonia in Spain. Since 1957, Camp Nou has been the home of football club Barcelona. Presently, the stadium has a sitting capacity of 96, 336 after being reduced from 99,786 by the UEFA. This makes the stadium the largest in Europe and number eleven amongst the largest stadiums in terms of capacity, in the global context. This is an international stadium that hosts many international matches at the highest level. Camp Nou hosts numerous senior level matches such as the UEFA Champions League finals and other football competitions. It also hosted the 1992 Summer Olympics and it still operates as the home of Barcelona Football Club. The Camp Nou Stadium in Barcelona The stadium Camp was constructed from 1954 to 1957 when it was officially opened by September 24, 1957. The opening day it hosted a match between a selection of players from the city of Warsaw and FC Barcelona. Previously, FC Barcelona used to play in the Camp deles Corts with a capacity of 60, 000. This capacity was still small because its supporters kept growing and it required a bigger stadium to accommodate the escalating numbers of supporters. Initially, Camp Nou had two major tiers that could hold spectators amounting to roughly 93,000. During this time, it was referred to as the Estadi del FC Barcelona but was later renamed Camp Nou. The Euro 1964 Championships were hosted in Camp Nou and the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu. It later hosted other several matches such as the one between the Soviet Union and Denmark, which ended in (3-0) in favor of the Soviet Union. It later hosted the match between Hungary and Denmark and Hungary won the match (3-1). Cup Winners’ Cup was also hosted in the club, the first one in 1972 and another one in 1980. Later, Camp Nou underwent expansion process that saw it host the 1982 World Cup, which raised the capacity of the stadium to roughly 120, 000 seats. The opening match in the 1982 World Cup was hosted by Camp Nou. It was a match between Belgious and Argentina that ended in a (1-0). It further hosted other matches in the second group stages and semi-finals between Poland and Italy (2-0). The European Cup final between AC Milan and FC Steaua in 1989 was also hosted by Camp Nou. In 1999, Manchester United played their final against FC Bayern in Champions League final that ended in a (2-1). After this match, the management of the pitch made the initiative convert several standing areas into seating. This was aimed at reducing the capacity by lowering the pitch. It is vital to note that Camp Nou had some standing at the top of the third tier until the late 1990s. Nevertheless, all these standing areas have been eliminated and thus reduce its capacity by roughly twenty thousand people. These changes have not been made to other clubs such as the Bernabéu, which has not changed since its inauguration. Some of the big football clubs still maintain their old look. FC Barcelona has kept changing the appearance of Camp Nou and presently they are considering building a new stadium that will be the most expensive stadium ever built in the history of football (Ball, 49). Norman Foster has presented a plan that is intended to renovate Camp Nou, however, lack of funds has been the impediment since the mid-2000s. The club is currently planning to construct a new stadium. This is a move that is being studied, however, they must also put into the consideration of numerous factors such as the present economic situation. Camp Nou was constructed during the tenure of Francesc Miró-Sans, the president of FC Barcelona during the time. The president saw the need of expanding the stadium because there were many supporters of FC Barcelona. It was vital for the president to set aside money to expand the stadium to accommodate the huge number of fans. This was an essential move since they were also competing with their rivals at Santiago Bernabéu. The architecture of the stadium was Francesc Mitjans who commissioned the opening of the structure. In March 1953, the first stone was laid with an initial budget of 67 million pesetas. Though, there were numerous issues that affected the process of construction, primarily from unexpected subsurface anomalies. These anomalies delayed the process of implementation, thus, increasing the amount required to complete the structure. The eventual cost added up to 228 million, inclusive of the amount used to buy the land around Camp Nou. They bought the land with prospects of recovering the cost incurred by selling the area of Les Corts. However, the entire process took so much time, and the Barcelona City Council completed classification in ten years. Because of economic scarcity, the stadium was inaugurated on September 24, 1957 (Ball, 56). FC Barcelona moved to new stadium and left they old Les Corts stadium. They further wanted to build a new field that could accommodate other fans who wanted to attend live matches. On the inauguration of Camp Nou, it was clear that it could hold a capacity of roughly 90,000 locations. The stadium became one of the largest and most majestic in Europe. Location of the Structure Camp Nou is situated in the east of Barcelona, which is roughly 5 kilometers from the historic city center of Barcelona. The stadium has a sport complex that also includes the Mini Estadi of Barcelona. There are several stations around the stadiums and from each stations, it barely takes ten minutes. The stadium is easily reachable using metro. When one intends to access the stadium via city center, one should take metro line 3. The metro heading in the direction of the University of Zona is another option heading to the stadium, but one has to get off station Les Corts. There are other alternative stations namely: Palau Reial and Maria Cristina. The journey from the city center takes approximately 20 minutes. Culture and the Society According to the demands of people and the community of Barcelona, they initially thought it was prudent to name the new stadium after the founder of the club. The founder of the club was known as Hans Gamper who was the best suited person to be named after the club was inaugurated; however, the idea faced opposition from the authorities at the time. The directives believed that they were capable of choosing a neutral name for the club. It never took long and they had found a name for the club. They named the stadium as Estadio Fútbol Club Barcelona (Ball, 47). The authorities at the time believed this was the acceptable and neutral name for the club. Nonetheless, the field was always known as Camp Nou with reference to the old stadium called Les Corts. Eaight years after inauguration, the president of the club, Eric Llaudet convened a consultation between the partners to decide the official name of site. When they proposed the name of Camp Nou, many people voted that the club be named Estadi Estadi Barça Camp Nou. However, the name became popular among the fans and press. In 2001, Joan Gaspart who was the president of FC Barcelona held consultations to decide on how they could formalize the name of Camp Nou. In 2007 to 2008 season, the club members wearing FC Barcelona shirts led the team around the legendary shield to commemorate 50th anniversary. This was an important occasion for club members, the team, and the fans. Construction of the Structure As mentioned earlier, the architect of Camp Nou was Francesc Mitjans Miró who collaborated with Lorenzo García Barbón (Farred, 49). More than a year later after the architects unveiled their proposed structure of Camp Nou, the club commissioned the construction process. This was a majestic structure and there was a need to collaborate with the entire stakeholders to ensure the success of Camp Nou construction. It took a lot of time and money, but the process was much of a success. The Construction of the Camp Nou was done by INGAR SA Company who estimated the total cost of construction at roughly 66,620,000 pesetas. The company indicated that it was likely to take roughly 18 months to complete the entire project. However, the construction process went beyond the estimated amount, and it eventually took a total of 288 million pesetas. This amount included 100 million pesetas that was estimated that would help the management to cover a successive issue of mortgage obligations, and short term bonds of 60 million pesetas. This implied that the club could manage to pay the construction company and other related expenditures, but the entire process was likely to leave the club in heavy debts for several years (Ball, 23). The official construction of Camp Nou began on March 28, 1954 because the previous stadium barely had room for expansion. It was initially planned that it could be called the Estadi del FC Barcelona; nonetheless, the most preferred name was Camp Nou. The signing of the most famous Barcelona’s player Laszlo Kubala in 1950 provided further impetus for constructing a bigger stadium to accommodate huge number of fans. The laying of the stone was done in the presence of 60,000 fans that came to grace the occasion (Ball, 23). This was a step forward for the club authorities, players and the fans. There was the Archbishop of Barcelona, Gregorio Modrego and the civil governor of Barcelona, Felipe Acedo Colunga (Ball, 23). The entire construction took roughly 3years, and the initial budget exceeded the estimated budget by 336% (Farred, 23). The opening of the stadium was officially done on September 24, 1957 and Handel’s Messiah was performed. In an organized friendly march, FC Barcelona beat Legia Warsaw 4-2. All the architects were present to grace the occasion. The Inauguration After setting the date for inaugurating the stadium, a commission was formed to plan for the success of the entire ceremony. The inaugural was to mark another milestone in the history of the club. There were several people given the task of ensuring that the process was successful. The public relation was Aleix Buxeres and the chief organizer was Nicolau Casaus. The celebration was declared earlier than expected on Saturday September 21 by José María de Cossío. This was a member of the Real Academia Española. The new stadium was declared open and in the same September, several international marches were played at Camp Nou comprising dissimilar sports (Farred, 23). There was celebration and many players graced the occasion in honor of the new FC Barcelona stadium. It was clear that the celebration during and after the inauguration was colorful because it left the celebrating until the Mercè Festival there were still the FC Barcelona colors in the air. Gregorio Mondrego graced the occasion and blessed the stadium. This was a colorful occasion because many people were invited, including several musicians who did several performances (Farred, 23). Though the work at the stadium was still incomplete, there were roughly 90,000 spectators to grace the occasion and use the facility during the inauguration process. The event continued and some football clubs in Catalonia paraded in their new stadium. The new stadium Anthem was sung and a game played with many spectators cheering. And so be it, a new stadium was branded and the event marked a new period in the history of FC Barcelona club. Materials Used There were a number of materials used in the construction of Camp Nou. Some of the materials include concrete, tiles, iron beams, pieces glasses among others. In some places, there were also strong timbers used in various sections that were also painted to be in harmony with the colors of FC Barcelona. This created a great look and depicted the ideology that it was a great piece of art. Interior Design The inside of the stadium the tiles were used to filter the different components of the club colors into the various internal spaces. They also used glasses as panes and in other areas, the designers proposed the use of strong glasses to avoid cracking of glasses during cases of emergency. The lighting of the inside of the stadium was designed to be in harmony with the FC Barcelona colors. This created a great feeling for the supporters of the club. Exterior Design The exterior design of the stadium was aimed at having a roof with the external façade. The architecture proposed that it was vital to give the stadium an essential distinctive look within the urban fabric it is located. The club was designed to take the image of a sitting bowl accompanied by a melodramatic external architecture (Eaude, 321). The design of the exterior façade of the stadium was to allow it to transform itself between day and night. It was also designed to transform itself during match days and non-match days. The volume of the stadium was enveloped within a mosaic of veils of tiles that are colored. Tiles had a mixture of colors to create a mixture of Polycarbonate coloring. These are some of the features that give the stadium its distinctive outer skin. However, the outer skin was designed such that it could have all the colors of FC Barcelona (Eaude, 321). The visual color mix that is presently being seen at the Camp Nou was a creative work of architects, who ensured that the stadium had shades and reflections. The stadium was also energized by a blend of colorful lights to attract fans and respond to the excitement of matches. These blends of colors were aimed at ensuring that the club was visible from far. This was a valuable feature for the club, football fans, and architecture admirers who may visit the city of Barcelona. It was designed to depict the brand image of FB Barcelona and make it a recognized brand. The side enclosure had the mosaic of screen warping around that is designed using a colored polycarbonate panel tiles. These colors embody the colors of FC Barcelona (Eaude, 322). The panels were also fixed in a diagrid cable net that created tension between the seating bowl and the ground. The naturally ventilated spaces were designed to provide protection when it rains. The outside of the stadium has mosaic tiles that create a vibrant effect of colors and reflections. The external façade was designed with an animated lighting effect and integrated with colors to create a special lighting element. The external façade was used to animate lighting displays. The entire lighting of the stadium was designed to host matches for both day and night. Additionally, the enclosure of the stadium was also surrounded with big screens with projectors that moved full-colors to surround the stadium. This was designed to achieve a low-key ambient display that appeared vibrant. The roof of the stadium carriers also had an extended external mosaic that stood over the stadium seating bowl. The roof was also designed with the colors of the club in mind. It was also composed of a density of colors that blends into the sky and creates harmony. The roof also has an enclosure that is light-weight and translucent with colored polycarbonate panels. All these makes the Camp Nou a magnificent structure in the history of football (Eaude, 323). Visually, the roof provides an architectural presence of lightweight above the stadium. The roof is further supported using an efficient two-way pre-stressed cable net system. The designers ensured that the cable net system spanned across the large dimensions of the seating bowl of the Camp Nou. If it were Built Today The Camp Nou was built in the late 1950s; it is not any different from various stadiums that are constructed globally today. It is noteworthy that most of such huge and magnificent structures have almost a similar structure. This is because; the architects encourage the use of similar techniques and materials. These techniques of building are unlikely to die soon because the present architects borrow some knowledge from the previous architects. If this stadium was to be constructed today, it would cost more than the cost that was incurred in 1957. Additionally the labor force and use of new machinery has also changed over time, and the stadium could have taken small duration to complete the constructions of the stadium. In the late 1950s, there were no advanced technology and transportation equipment, which contributed the long time it took the constructors. Presently, there are large tracks that carry large amounts of sand or ballast and lift to great heights. This has made it possible for many companies to complete many projects in a timely fashion (Eaude, 318). Construction has become more efficient because of the technological advancements present today. Transportation of materials to the site has become effective, quicker and easier. Since Camp Nou is located in the city center where there is access to several waterways, building the structure will probably be efficient and less costly. In 1957, it was complex to build such a magnificent structure because of lack of resources and effective equipment. There was also limited transportation available and hence most of the necessary materials were assembled in the site. Conclusion The Camp Nou Stadium in Barcelona remains one of the biggest stadiums ever erected in the history of football. Camp Nou stadium is based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Since 1957, Camp Nou has been the home of FC Barcelona and it has hosted numerous football competitions. Camp Nou is situated in the east of Barcelona, which is roughly 5 kilometers from the historic city center of Barcelona. The official construction of Camp Nou began on March 28, 1954 because the previous stadium barely had room for expansion. The construction process went until 1957 when the stadium was inaugurated and officially opened. The exterior design of the stadium was aimed at having a roof with the external façade. The architecture proposed that it was vital to give the stadium an essential distinctive look within the urban fabric it is located. Camp Nou remains amongst the melodramatic structures ever built globally. Even though, there were numerous challenges during its construction, these challenges have been addressed by the current innovation and technological advancements. If it was to be constructed today, it would be easy, fast, cost effective, and efficient. Works Cited Ball, Phill. Morbo: The Story of Spanish Football. London: WSC Books Limited, 2003. 23-56. Print. Eaude, Michael. Catalonia: a cultural history. New York: Oxford University Press, 2008. 318-323. Print. Farred, Grant. Long distance love: a passion for football. Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Press, 2008. 23-25. Print. Read More