Arena da Baixada – stadium description

First football game on the site of old garrison was played already in September 1914. The first stadium was redeveloped a few times before eventually closing in 1970s. Reopened temporarily it was demolished in 1997, making way for a brand new structure.

After two years of construction, this private project by Atletico Paranaense became one of Brazil’s best stadiums. Located unusually on the east-west axis, the stadium provided a unique layout. Southern side of the pitch initially had no room for audience, later only a modest single tier. This was forced by extremely dense architecture. In fact, the closest homes around the stadium were literally a couple meters from the new stands.

Despite limited access, the 25,000-capacity stadium was highly regarded and became Brazil’s first to gain a sponsor. Naming rights were bought for 3 years by Japanese company Kyocera. As the contract ended in 2008, Curitiba was already named as a World Cup host for 2014.

Redevelopment design was created in 2009, envisioning a completed seating bowl, new facades and roof, most notably with Brazil’s first retractable roof over the pitch. The building would be adjoined by a smaller indoor hall, becoming a major entertainment hub.

Works began in 2012, but were marred with problems. Financial deadlock and temporary halts due to safety infractions meant that instead of delivering the stadium in 2013, contractors didn’t even manage to finish in mid-2014, before the World Cup. For the tournament neither the retractable roof, nor the adjoined media pavilion were ready. As if this wasn’t enough, instead of consuming roughly R$220 million from early estimates, works required R$360 million, of which almost 250 million were financed publicly.