Yeni Eskişehir Stadyumu – stadium description

New stadium for Eskişehirspor was planned in the western outskirts of the city, thus forcing football games from the centrally-located Atatürk Stadium, earmarked for new non-sporting development. The stadium’s concept was created in the renowned office of Bahadir Kul, where the idea of a stadium inspired by dynamic movement of a football was created.

While looking very dynamically in renderings, the vision lost a lot of its fluency during construction. Not as gentle as the idea, the actual stadium still manages to retain originality. Its southern façade is white and opaque, but the stadium reveals some of its interior towards the north with extensive use of glass. Between the stands and vast roof a thick red mesh was installed to add club colours during both the day and night.

Works were due for launch in 2012 but procedures took longer than planned and contractors eventually entered the site in spring of 2013. Expected delivery date was set at 2015 but, again, delays were seen. Eventually the building was opened in late November 2016 and even then wasn’t entirely ready, also seeing criticism over compromised quality of the field and furnishings.

Double-tiered stands were designed with 33,000 people in mind. Interestingly, skyboxes are placed on both sides of the field rather than the usual west where most of the hospitality areas are usually located. There are three restaurants at the stadium while a nearly 13,000-square-meter parking hidden beneath the stands.