Netherlands: Another decade of failed efforts to build a new De Kuip
source: StadiumDB.com; author: Paulina Skóra
Feyenoord Rotterdam has been planning to build a new stadium for years. The realization of the most ambitious project of its kind in the Netherlands has been postponed multiple times. However, nothing lasts forever, and the current De Kuip will eventually need to be replaced by a newer facility.
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Unfulfilled dreams of Feyenoord City
The Rotterdam club presented plans for a new arena in 2017, with construction expected to begin in the spring of 2022 after numerous financing issues and design changes. However, in May 2022, Feyenoord's management announced they were withdrawing from the plans. The new Feyenoord stadium was supposed to be part of a larger project to revitalize the city district located on the Nieuwe Maas waterfront. In addition to the stadium, the project envisioned shops and housing. Initially, the stadium's construction costs were estimated at €441 million, but it quickly became clear that the investment would exceed €500 million.
The entire complex was to be called Feyenoord City, with the stadium at its center being the most modern in the Netherlands. The venue, with a capacity of approximately 63,000 spectators, would partially be built over water. However, due to the potentially enormous costs, the club officially announced its withdrawal from the project. Feyenoord also declared it would remain at its current stadium for a long time
while emphasizing that no modernization of Stadion Feijenoord is planned, and a reconstruction of the venue is currently considered unfeasible.
© OMA | Design of Feyenoord City
Will the aging De Kuip meet expectations even after modernization?
Discussions about the future of the venue resurface from time to time. Stadion Feijenoord was inaugurated in 1937 and has undergone three major renovations, the last of which took place in 1994. The stadium has retained its original shape, with light masts from 1958 standing outside the structure and a roof added in 1994 without altering the form of the stands. For this reason, it has officially become a historic landmark in Rotterdam.
The Rotterdamse Dromers group, which focuses on new architectural solutions for the city, recently raised the issue of Feyenoord’s stadium future. They believe De Kuip will eventually need renovation. Many plans for rebuilding De Kuip have already been created. Why were they never realized? They were either financially unfeasible, construction costs were unpredictable, or the design did not meet requirements. Additionally, renovation would mean a multi-year reduction in stadium capacity.
Currently, the stadium can accommodate 51,117 spectators.
© Валерий Дед | Stadion Feijenoord (De Kuip)
Visionaries of Rotterdam’s future have an idea and a warning
Relocation? If so, it would still have to be within IJsselmonde. In that case, the option would be to build next to the current stadium. If the parking lot and Maasgebouw are converted into a construction site, part of the new stadium could be built while De Kuip remains operational. Construction would take place next to the old stadium, and the old parts of De Kuip would be replaced with new ones,
proposes Rotterdamse Dromers. The group also considers other options, such as building the stadium outside IJsselmonde, but Feyenoord’s statute requires the club to remain in Rotterdam, so the location would need to be in the southern part of the city.
Rotterdamse Dromers have proposed two interesting options: Maashaven (at the site of the current Attractiepark Rotterdam) and Waalhaven (which would require partial infilling). Both solutions have advantages but also significant challenges, such as road and rail infrastructure required to service the stadium. However, the group emphasizes that decisions need to be made relatively quickly: If Rotterdam does not find a location, Feyenoord will cease to be a Rotterdam club. In that case, you might as well call it Feyenoord Ridderkerk.
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