Rotterdam: De Kuip to be expanded after all?

source: ad.nl; author: michał

Rotterdam: De Kuip to be expanded after all? It seems that despite initial hostility campaigners opting to retain the existing stadium may be taken seriously. Stadion Feijenoord commissioner Carlo de Swart urges the club to treat the Red De Kuip campaign “damn seriously”.

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Not much happened in the last half a year, since Rotterdam municipality crashed Feyenoord's dreams of building their new stadium in Varkenoord, just across the street from existing De Kuip. The idea of new stadium is still being considered, but had to be postponed, at best.

According to Stadion Feijenoord president-commissioner Carlo de Swart there are still three options on the table. Only one not possible any more is the riverside new stadium that wasn't realistic, as time showed.

The available ones are: push forward to build the Varkenoord stadium, demolish De Kuip and build on its site (option suggested by stadium developers BAM Sports) and finally expand De Kuip.

The latter option was raised by a social campaign called Red De Kuip (Save De Kuip) in 2012. Campaigners, including architects, have since worked on a very serious bid to increase capacity without leaving the 75-year-old home by a new third tier.

De Kuip

Though the campaign received severe criticism from Feyenoord, Carlo de Swart thinks the club should treat the idea of revamping current structures very seriously. “Much more seriously that it happened previously. For the money. After all, we're talking about €220 million difference compared to building anew”, de Swart said, quoted by ad.nl.

Initially estimated at €117 million, the Red De Kuip concept is now more precisely priced at €141 million. Though the cost increased compared to early drafts, it's still no match for the €362 million cost of the Varkenoord stadium.

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