Barcelona presented the New Camp Nou on Thursday, showing a design that aims to emphasize the spirit of being open to everyone. The club's Board of Directors, including President Josep Maria Bartomeu, along with a number of other execs, and current and former players and coaches attended the presentation. The winning bid came from the Nikken Sekkei studio from Japan, and that of Catalan architects Pascual-Ausió, which were chosen on March 8. The project will convert the current stadium into a new one without a conventional façade. Access to the stadium will be at street level through a spacious and lofty atrium, with access to the upper floors via 12 separate columns which incorporate escalators, stairways and lifts. The New Camp Nou will use collected rainwater from the roof and solar energy to increase sustainability. It will offer improved visibility from all seating areas. The first level will be completely new and built in a more parabolic and vertical style. The second tier will maintain its current structure while offering increased comfort, accessibility and services, including the third tier, which will run around the whole ground above the main stand. Above that, there will be a 360° walkway with connections with both the inside of the stadium and the area outside the stadium (Barcelona).
EL MUNDO reported the initial budget for the project was €200M ($226M), and this figure has increased to €328M ($371M). During the presentation, Barcelona presented a model that shows the new features of the stadium (
EL MUNDO, 4/21). In Barcelona, Lluís Miguelsanz reported Bartomeu explained that the club "will not begin the project" until its finances allow it. He said, "We now have a lot work ahead in terms of the design of the project. There is time and we are convinced that the debt of the club will be at less than €200 million by the time the project is ready. We will not begin construction until this objective is met. ... We are also working on a naming-rights sponsor of the stadium, which will be very important" (
SPORT, 4/21). SKY SPORTS reported the club plans to increase the stadium's capacity to 105,000. Work on the current stadium, which holds nearly 100,000 fans, "is set to get underway" during the '17-18 season and is planned to be completed in the '20-21 campaign (
SKY SPORTS, 4/21).
