Bogotá will experience a radical change at one of its neuralgic points. A public-private project plans to build a new soccer stadium with a retractable roof and a cultural and leisure complex in and around El Campín, in the Teusaquillo district, including a 2,500-seat auditorium that will house the renowned Bogota Philharmonic Orchestra. The space, which will have restaurants, shops and sports areas, will also house the Colombian Sports Museum and will have the exclusive dressing rooms of Santa Fe and Millonarios, the two teams that play in this area. The works will take place in a derelict area that is currently perceived as unsafe by citizens.
El Campín stadium was built 75 years ago on land donated to the city by a then influential family, the Camachos. Hence, the complex bears the first name of one of its members, Nemesio Camacho. During this time, the square has undergone major changes up to five times. But none is as radical as this one. It means transforming a space that is not easily accessible by foot into one of the most attractive places in the city. His role model is the transformation that Real Madrid undertook with the Santiago Bernabéu and its surroundings.
The works will cover 167,000 square meters in the heart of Bogotá. This is done via an APP, a public-private partnership. The land is publicly owned and all investments are private. According to the contract, the winners have 29 years to recoup the investment. The initial amount to cover the costs of the previous technical and legal studies was two million dollars. Launched five years ago, the project is in a validation process that will require a third party, an independent company, to verify its feasibility. Then it’s on to the verdict.
The mayor’s office hopes to have it operational before the end of this term. “Without a doubt, it is one of the largest projects in Colombia,” explains Blanca Durán, director of the Bogotá District Institute of Recreation and Sports, who describes this urban planning process as “impressive”. “It will add great value to the city. “It’s a comprehensive urban renewal project,” he continues.
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The El Campín stadium is outdated and does not meet technical standards. It will be built from scratch. But it will be done in stages so the competition can run its course and football doesn’t have to stop. During the 55-month construction period, work will first be carried out on the east stand, and then work will continue in the south and north. Finally the Western A state-of-the-art stadium is being built with many advantages that it doesn’t have today. The grandstands will be European style very close to the grass and it will be a 100% covered pitch with a retractable roof. The chairs will be comfortable and more than 240 boxes will be available around the pitch. The multinational group Lanik, a company with more than 40 years of experience in the design and manufacture of roofs for large buildings and infrastructures, will be responsible for the construction. His portfolio includes such extraordinary works as the Caja Mágica in Madrid or the impressive Dynamo Stadium in Moscow.
The main partners of the project have come together under the name of El Campín Cultural and Sports Complex. There are the companies Concéntrica, Prociviles, Quebuenacompra, Tune in, 911, Lealtis and B2Media, among others. The product they developed is called Sencia. The director of the action, Edgar Cardona, claims it is a total transformation of a currently under-used space through art, culture and sport. “We need all citizens who are able to strengthen themselves in their city and enjoy it,” explains Cardona. At this moment, thousands of people flock to El Campín Stadium every day, but none of them have a reason to stay. It’s about making it a quintessential meeting point of the city.
One of Sencia’s great attractions is the inclusion of an auditorium for the Bogotá Philharmonic Orchestra, one of the most awarded and recognized orchestras in Latin America. The auditorium, equipped with the latest acoustic technology, will be around 22,900 square meters in size. “We strive to make the soul fly through music and artistic expression, as they are a fundamental part of human development. Here we have the best scenario to achieve this,” the project documentation reads. The facilities will have a larger room for 2,500 people, another spare room for 700 people, and rooms for artists, offices and dressing rooms.
There will also be table and table restaurants and fast-food areas for visitors to a concert, football match or philharmonic concert. “We believe that the gastronomy of our city must be made important for tourism. We want to have these spaces so that people can come and enjoy a pepitoria, a marranita or any other type of Colombian gastronomy,” adds Cardona.
As an obvious major novelty, it will house the city’s first egamer gym. A space for esports and digital sports lovers to train and compete using video consoles and computers. There will also be a 120-room hotel to accommodate concert or football visitors, and a Red Cross medical emergency service. Artists and athletes, the developers explain, always want to know how far they are from a hotel, the airport and a health station. This place is very close to each other, which is why it is considered a triple A space.
“The first thing we will create is jobs if we have to build the stadium and all the other works. We will have to work with many companies that need to strengthen their industries in order to be able to develop what is necessary for high-quality infrastructure,” continues the project leader. It is, he says, a tourist center that is renovating a historic stadium like El Campín to serve Bogotá and its citizens.
credits
Coordination: Guiomar del Ser
Art direction and design: Fernando Hernández
Programming and layout: Carlos Muñoz
Pictures: Santiago Mesa and Chelo Camacho
Infographic: Jorge March
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