Johan Cruijff ArenA – design description

Upgrade of the famous Amsterdam ArenA will see the stadium’s commercial potential boosted by a new upper concourse for fans. In the stadium’s initial layout 28,000 fans in the upper tier had only 2,800 square meters of floor space. This amount will grow several times by 2020.

The expansion will not influence capacity, nor will it touch the retractable roof. Also, the main stand in the west won’t be affected as its infrastructure was already expanded, last time in 2013.

There will be a new outer cladding on three sides, all illumination lamps will be replaced with LED systems for energy efficiency, while additional photovoltaic panels and rainwater collection systems will be installed to improve the stadium’s sustainability. The cost is estimated at €50 million and the architects responsible for the work are the creators of the original stadium and its recent extension.

The first phase of the expansion, covering the eastern side of the stadium, began in June 2017 and was completed in April 2018. Further phases of the investment before Euro 2020 were not carried out. It is unclear whether, and if so when, these will occur. During the COVID-19 pandemic it was reported that the arena was in financial trouble, which certainly puts off the prospect of the project continuing.