Two designs are reportedly "locked in the race" for the proposed new Munich arena which will be built next to the German city’s Olympic Park, according to COLISEUM-ONLINE. A selection panel has "zeroed in on the two proposals following a design contest that was launched by Red Bull Stadion München and the City of Munich in August." Plans put forward by 3XN Copenhagen and Latz+Partner "came out as the winning design" with another proposal from gmp, Hamburg and Ulrich Krüger Landschaftsarchitekten in second place. Located southwest of the Olympiastadion, the 11,000-seat venue will be the new home of German Ice Hockey League (DEL) club Red Bull Munich and Basketball Bundesliga (BBL) outfit Bayern Munich. It will also house three other ice sports facilities for training and recreational use. The choice will be made by Red Bull, which is financing the project, Bayern Munich and software company SAP, which will hold the naming rights to the venue (COLISEUM-ONLINE, 12/3).
RIGHT ON TIME: In Sydney, Adrian Proszenko reported the new Western Sydney Stadium is "set to be completed on time and on budget." The 30,000-seat venue is the steepest in Australia, "a nod to the tight seating bowl of Brisbane's Suncorp." Venues NSW CEO Paul Doorn said, "In the world of stadia and entertainment, closeness to the field of play is like the holy grail, that's what you're trying to achieve." Every seat is under cover and punters are "never further than" 30m from a toilet or a food outlet. They will also be able to walk around the entire facility courtesy of the 360-degree open concourse, meaning they will not "miss a try or a goal while lining up for beers and pies" (SYDNEY MORNING HERALD, 12/5).
