London-based WOO Architects has been appointed by Turkish company Limak Construction to support the redevelopment of Spotify Camp Nou, home of Spanish LaLiga football club Barcelona.
WOO said it has been chosen for its technical expertise in sports architecture and stadium redevelopment. The company was created in 2014 by the team who led the design of the London 2012 Olympic Games on behalf of the local organising committee.
WOO will work alongside Spanish company Ghesa, Australian engineer Robert Bird Group and crowd movement specialist Movement Strategies on the Camp Nou project. They will act as Limak’s design and delivery team for the transformation of the stadium.
The three-year contract begins immediately and will run until 2026, when the project is slated for completion. The revamp of the Camp Nou forms part of the wider Espai Barça project, which also includes the delivery of a new Palau Blaugrana arena and the wide-ranging Campus Barça development.
WOO founder Kevin Owens (pictured right, alongside chief operating officer Peter Richardson) said: “It’s a privilege to be working on such a landmark project. Our work will provide a legacy for a new age of sporting achievement, and visually transform the stadium to respond to the needs and aspirations of 21st century audiences.”
In January, Limak was appointed by Barcelona to carry out the €960m (£848m/$1bn) redevelopment of its stadium, with work scheduled to begin following the conclusion of the 2022-23 season.
Limak only has experience of building one football stadium, the 25,500-capacity Mersin Arena in Turkey. The company specialises in building infrastructure such as airports, factories and hotels.
On the back of its Camp Nou contract, Limak chose Barcelona to act as a hub for its European and Latin American projects. The company plans to expand its workforce in Barcelona to 200 people by 2026 and has previously signalled its intention to subcontract work for the Camp Nou project to other firms.
Barcelona last month retained the services of Japanese architectural and engineering firm Nikken Sekkei for the Camp Nou project. Nikken Sekkei will serve as a ‘design guardian’ for the revamped stadium. The company, in conjunction with Pascual y Ausió Arquitectes, were the winners of the competition to design the new Camp Nou in 2016.
In September, Barcelona appointed the joint venture of Ingeniería Arquitectura Torrella and Ingenieros JG to direct the next construction phase for the project. The news came after it had previously been reported that locally-based Torrella had been awarded the contract ahead of Nikken Sekkei.
Nikken Sekkei will work with Barcelona to guarantee the continuity of the initial concept and work towards ways of integrating new proposals into the project. It will provide technical assistance to Limak.
The capacity of the Camp Nou will increase from 98,000 to 105,000 as part of the revamp. Barcelona will spend the 2023-24 season at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys while the Camp Nou undergoes renovation.
