Donbas Arena

Donbas Arena
Donbas Arena
Location	Donetsk, Ukraine
Coordinates	48°1′15″N 37°48′35″E / 48.02083°N 37.80972°E
Broke ground	27 June 2006
Opened	29 August 2009
Owner	Shakhtar Donetsk
Operator	Donbas Arena
Surface	Grass
Construction cost	$ 400 million; € 300 million
Architect	ArupSport
General Contractor	ENKA
Capacity	52,518 (Football)
Field dimensions	105m x 68m
Tenants
	FC Shakhtar Donetsk; Euro 2012

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Donbas Arena or Donbass Arena (Ukrainian: Донбас Арена) is a stadium with a natural grass pitch in Donetsk, Ukraine that opened on 29 August 2009. The facility is located in the center of the city, in the Lenin Comsomol park. With a capacity of 52,518 spectators, the Stadium hosts FC Shakhtar Donetsk matches and will host some matches in Euro 2012. It is also one of the popular nightlife spots in Donetsk.

The initial estimated cost of the project was USD 250m. USD 30m has been allocated to set up a recreational park around the Stadium. The final cost of the project will reach USD 400m.^[3]^[4]

[edit] Construction and design

Construction began in 2006. The general contractor was a Turkish company ENKA. The Stadium was completed and opened in 2009. About 1600 specialists, mainly Turkish, were involved in the construction.

Donbas Arena was designed by ArupSport, who also designed the City of Manchester Stadium (Manchester, England); Allianz Arena (Munich, Germany); and the Beijing National Stadium (Beijing, China). The soaring roof effect makes the Stadium resemble a flying saucer. The stadium has an oval shape and a glazed façade and is located near Regional Sport Complex Olimpiyskiy. The roof of the stadium slopes from north to south matching the landscape and contributing to the natural lighting and airing of the pitch. The external lighting makes the Stadium shine at night.

[edit] Opening

The opening event

Construction site in August 2007

The Donbas arena was completed ahead of schedule, but the grand opening was delayed until 29 August 2009 to coincide with the Ukrainian holiday of Miners Day, as well as Donetsk City day. Donetsk is in the Donbas region, a mining region, and the date was chosen for its symbolism. The prime tenants of the facility are named Shakhtar Donetsk ("Donetsk Coal Miners").

American Pop/R&B singer-songwriter Beyoncé Knowles performed a show from her I Am... Tour on the opening night of the new stadium. It was Knowles' first performance in Ukraine.^[5] Beyoncé performed her famous hit Halo to honour the memory of Michael Jackson, who would have had his birthday on that day.

Many state officials attended the show designed by K-events Filmmaster Group. The opening ceremony was awarded as Event of the Year at the Stadium Business Awards on June 18, 2010 in Dublin.

Shakhtar Donetsk's first match at the stadium was a 4–0 victory in a Ukrainian Premier League 2009–10 Round 8 fixture on 27 September 2009 against FC Obolon Kyiv.^[6]

The day before opening

[edit] Euro 2012

Donbas arena was included in the official bidding project submitted by Poland and Ukraine for hosting UEFA Euro 2012. The stadium will host group stage games and one quarter-final and one semi-final game. Unlike most new stadiums being built in Poland and Ukraine, Donbas Arena was not initially intended for that venue.

[edit] Other uses

The project of new stadium "Donbas Arena" was conceived long before Ukraine was named as co-host of Euro 2012. The owner considered the possibility of daily use of the arena. "Donbas Arena" includes three restaurants, a lounge-bar, a fan cafe, fast-food outlets, retail outlets, a fitness center, corporate boxes and first aid rooms. The stadium also provides facilities for corporate events - presentations, press conferences, celebrations and concerts. Stadium tours are available which include an examination of the unique features of Donbas Arena, a visit to the footballers’ rooms and FC Shakhtar Museum and a visit to the FC Shakhtar brand shop for souvenirs.

[edit] Facts

Front glass façade

The total area of the construction site (including mobilization areas) is 254,907 m²
The land (including pitch), where the Stadium is located, is 46,780 m²
The height of the new stadium is 54m from pitch level to the top of the roof.
There are 227 lavatories with 471 toilets and 333 wash basins.
Over 120.000 м³ of concrete were poured during construction of the Stadium
Approximately 4300 tonnes of steel were used for construction
Approximately 3800 tonnes of steel were used for the roof structure.
Total glazing area is approximately 24.000 m²
The total area of the tiers is approximately 70.000 m²
The size of the football field is 105 × 68 m (344 × 223 ft), and 7,668 m² (82,538 sq ft) natural turf will be used with 2,201 m² (23,691 sq ft) synthetic turf