US architecture firm Populous has been selected as the designer of a new stadium in Rostov-on-Don that will serve as a 2018 World Cup playing venue and will be the future home of FC Rostov.
It will be the fourth Russian World Cup stadium to be designed by Populous, following the new stadiums in Kazan, Saransk, and Sochi.
The firm describes the new stadium as follows:
Part of an overall landscape, this urban design is planned for the whole region. It is inspired by the ancient earthworks along the banks of the river, the Kurgans. These archaeological mounds of earth were used for burial pagan rituals, creating major forms in the landscape.
The stadium will have a capacity of 45,000 seats for the World Cup and will be scaled down to 25,000 seats in legacy. The concept had embraced sustainable credentials, as it will be the core of a green city project, which protects the wetlands to the south of the river.
It is unclear when building works will start and be completed, but the expectation is that the latter will be some time around 2016.
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