The City of Bogotá has fired the starting gun on development of the El Campín Sports and Cultural Complex, which will have a new-look Estadio El Campín as its focal point.
The award of a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) agreement with the Asociación Público Privada Complejo Cultural Y Deportivo El Campín (CDEC S.A.S.) consortium is intended to modernise a 174,000 m2 plot of land, turning it into the meeting point for culture, tourism, recreation and sports in the Colombian capital.
The closure of the agreement comes after the latest proposal to revamp El Campín reportedly received the backing of Mayor Claudia López Hernández back in September. That news came nearly two years after plans were initially proposed to redevelop the facility.
Located in Teusaquillo and inaugurated on August 10, 1938, El Campín is the largest and most iconic stadium in Bogotá. Through the PPP project, it will become a new stadium that will accommodate at least 45,000 spectators, up from its current capacity of around 37,000.
The space will comply with FIFA and South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) standards. It is promising a fan experience that will compare with the most modern stadiums in the world.
Bogotá’s District Institute of Recreation and Sports (IDRD), which owns the stadium, has said the nature of the overall project, with its PPP model, represents a first for Latin America and stands as one of the greatest achievements of public management in Colombia.
The project will enter a 12-month preconstruction phase this month, with the construction itself expected to take three-and-a-half years to complete. A 29-year concession term will then commence.
The new-look El Campín has been conceived and designed to meet the demands of large-scale international championships and tournaments, as well as to host world-class entertainment events and concerts.
The broader complex, designed for the cultural development of the city, will include the construction of an auditorium where the Bogotá Philharmonic Orchestra, one of the most awarded and recognised in Latin America, can perform.
The space, with capacity for 2,500 people and incorporating cutting-edge acoustic technology, will be made up of two performance spaces, in addition to a rehearsal room for the exclusive use of the Orchestra and its artists.
The complex also includes a building with commercial premises, an events pavilion, a coworking area and an esports centre. These will be in addition to commercial areas, movie theatres, restaurants, and family entertainment venues.
There will also be space for commercial areas, offices and a hotel with an estimated 100-room capacity. Over the next five years, the construction phase of this project is expected to generate approximately 1,500 direct jobs, and throughout the 29 years of the concession, around 4,500.
Blanca Durán, director of the IDRD, said: “We are committed to positioning Bogotá as an elite city in terms of recreation, sports and culture, for the benefit of citizens. With the awarding of the project, the aim is for the country’s capital to enjoy international events and modernise in urban planning.”
