Populous was recently selected as the designers of the new Rostov Stadium in Russia, which will be the fourth Populous-designed stadium in the country to be used for the 2018 World Cup, together with Kazan, Saransk, Sochi. Part of an overall landscape, this urban design is planned for the whole region. It is inspired by the ancient earthworks along the banks of the river, the Kurgans. These archaeological mounds of earth were used for burial pagan rituals, creating major forms in the landscape. More images and architects’ description after the break.
In September 2012, the eleven host cities that will organize the 2018 FIFA World Cup tournament in Russia were announced. The sixty-four matches will be staged at twelve venues. Among the host cities are: Moscow, being the only city with two stadiums selected, Saint Petersburg, Kaliningrad, Nizhny Novgorod, Kazan, Samara, Saransk, Volgograd, Rostov-on-Don and Yekaterinburg.
The stadium will have a capacity of 45,000 seats for the World Cup and will be scaled down to 25,000 seats in legacy. The concept had embraced sustainable credentials, as it will be the core of a green city project, which protects the wetlands to the south of the river.
Damon Lavelle, Principal at Populous, commented “It’s been a pleasure to work with Intex, the city and the governor of Rostov-on-Don to promote the project. After our experience on the World Cup in 2010 and London 2012, we are certain that the stadium will be a great catalyst for the city and this part of the river.”