The competition for the design of the Bazaly stadium in Ostrava attracted 29 architectural studios

PROJEKTSTUDIO: Feasibility study for the capacity of the Bazaly football stadium (2024)

Ostrava – A total of 29 studies from around the world have expressed interest in the international architectural competition for the construction of a new football stadium at Bazaly in Ostrava. At least eight architectural firms will design the stadium. Mayor Jan Dohnal (Together) told reporters today. The construction is set to take place in the same location where the first division team Baník Ostrava operated from 1959 to the 2014/15 season. The goal is to create the best facility of its kind in the country. The stadium, with a capacity of 20,000 spectators, is expected to cost around 2.5 billion crowns.

"I must say that I am very pleased that the international architectural competition has been recognized worldwide; we received 29 proposals, which complement four studios that we pre-selected ourselves and approached directly," Dohnal noted. From the 29 applicants, the city will select at least four more. "We are currently in the phase where the office is going through the offers to see if they meet all the necessary criteria," Dohnal added.

The winning design is expected to be announced in November or December. This will be followed by a competition for the contractor of the project documentation, whose preparation and obtaining the necessary permits is expected to take at least two years. The actual construction is anticipated in 2029 and 2030. "It obviously depends on many factors, as the process is likely to be more complex," the mayor pointed out.

The new stadium is expected to be certified according to the BREEAM standard (sustainability of buildings). The construction will include a museum of the football club, as well as a restaurant and fan shops. Bazaly was the traditional home of Baník, but the players had to move to the Municipal Stadium in Ostrava-Vítkovice, as the original no longer met the established conditions. However, the city administration has repeatedly described the functioning of footballers and athletes in a shared facility as quite problematic, unsustainable in capacity, and prospectively plans for further development of athletics at the Municipal Stadium.

The city decided to buy Bazaly in 2013, as the club was then facing significant financial difficulties. The city paid approximately 115 million crowns for the area, thereby saving the club from bankruptcy. The purchase of Bazaly faced criticism, and it was only passed in a repeated vote at the city council. The city subsequently had the facility renovated for around 320 million crowns, and since 2019 it has been serving young footballers for training. The spectator capacity of the stadium's main playing field is currently 450 seats.