Stadion Shakhter – design description

New stadium for the growing Shakhter Karagandy would stand in the new heart of sport in the city, almost at the very heart geographically. Due to harsh climate it’d have complete dome over the stands and pitch, forcing installation of synthetic grass.

In terms of design the stadium would loosely take from traditional yurts, tents used by nomadic people in the region. Under the impressive dome stands of up to 50,000 people were planned. While this variant was visualized, author assured other configurations with a minimum of 30,000 might be viable for the stadium.

The concept was drawn by architect Simon Bolotnik as an entry to the Archikonkurs 2012 competition, it never was official. However, the release coincided with Shakhter winning domestic championship. The team had to play Champions League qualifiers in Astana, prompting a decision to build a new stadium in the city. This way Bolotnik’s work became a point of reference for the debate on a project that is due to begin in 2015.