Real Betis Reveals New Benito Villamarín Stadium Designs
Real Betis have revealed the designs for its stadium redevelopment after announcing the winner of an international competition.
The project presented by Rafael de la-Hoz and Gensler won the international competition in architecture called by Real Betis to design the new Benito Villamarín Stadium, one the key points in its 2022-26 Strategic Plan.
The board of administrators decided in the final vote for the joint candidature of the Spanish architect and the studio from the United States of America. They will develop the project design that is crucial to the long-term growth of the club.
The new complex is expected to multiply the revenue of the club through a new stadium concept which is open, modern and will allow them to increase the commercial activity of the club throughout the whole year thanks to different quality spaces.
The design will widen the entertainment and hospitality offer on matchdays, before, during and after the games, and also on days without sporting events. The stadium will become a leisure and events centre, with an auditorium of 450 seats, and will also become an important tourist site in the city.
The new Benito Villamarín Stadium will have capacity for 60,379 spectators. The current Preferencia Stand (West Stand) will be demolished and rebuilt, with capacity for 15,754 seats (11,533 regular seats, 4,023 premium seats and 180 seats in the Presidential Box).
The other three stands will not be demolished, but will undergo substantial changes that will have an impact on the comfort and fan experience. The project also includes the installation of a roof over the four stands and a new façade that will radically change the current look with an architectural proposal that will surround the stadium with the thirteen stripes of the badge.
The stadium will have 4,436 premium tickets, 7.3% of the total capacity. 30% of them will be VIP model (private hospitality) and 70% club model (shared hospitality). Also, the design has flexibility to increase these numbers in case of a higher demand. These areas will be available both on matchdays and to host corporate events.
The restaurant offer will be another of the pillars of the fan experience enhancement, both on matchdays and on every other week day. There will be a wide variety of food selling points in the venue, and a 360 corridor on the lower stand where different food concepts will be located, such as the ‘Green Market’.
Among the experiences included in the design, we can find the rooftop and the sky lounge, a spectacular place on top of the West Stand with hospitality options and a great view of the city.
Following the values in sustainability supported by Real Betis through its platform Forever Green, the New Stadium will be one of the first in Europe to have environmental certification with a design focused on energetic optimization. The design will include spots for persons with reduced mobility (PRM) as well, with more than 500 places and spaces specially designed for an enhanced view of the games.
Real Betis president Ángel Haro showed his satisfaction to announce a “historical” project that will be a turning point in the future of the club.
He said: “This is the first fundamental step for the club’s future and one of the cornerstones of our strategic plan. Real Betis will have a quality stadium that will make all the Béticos proud, with comfortable facilities and great services.
“The New Villamarín will be a national and even international reference, with an innovative business model that will allow us to take a big leap forward in revenue, and that will help us to keep growing. And, of course, an added value to the city.
“The City Hall sees it as a project for the citizens, too. We want to congratulate Rafael de la-Hoz and Gensler for their project, and all the other candidates for the excellence they showed in their works. It has been a tough decision because all the projects were exceptional.”
Once the winning candidate has been chosen, the club will start working alongside Rafael de la-Hoz and Gensler on the basic project and, later, the execution project to obtain the permits for the works, that are expected to begin next summer.
Images: Real Betis
