It was scheduled for March, but is now delayed slightly. The tender for new 19,350-capacity stadium in Darmstadt should still allow completion in time for the 2018/19 Bundesliga season.

Reconstruction of Merck-Stadion in Darmstadt encountered a small delay after 57 complaints were submitted to the city. Some of them come from local residents, others from institutions. They raise various concerns, mostly regarding traffic, noise, parking availability and environmental impact.

Most important opinion will come from the Darmstadt Technical University, which asked for one more month to evaluate the city’s plans. Officials from the city hall are meanwhile analyzing all 57 complaints and will include the concerns in stadium plans, if they are found valid.

For all these reasons current timing for the tender announcement is expected to be late April. The project will be ran in “design + build” mode, which means there is no concrete design at this stage. There are crucial guidelines, however. Capacity will be almost as it is today (19,350 compared to 17,000 at present), but with a football-only layout. The budget is estimated at €33 million ($37m).

Great consultation process

All guidelines prepared for contenders are the outcome of a thorough consultation process carried out last year. The city discussed expectations with both the football club SV Darmstadt 98 and with their supporters.

The below images present what was created by fans as their sensible “dream stadium”. It includes a specific division of seating and standing sections. Three of the stands will include terracing, which will follow English pattern of placing standing fans in front rows, while seats are raised behind them. The city included most important expectations of fans in the project.