Andrea Maffei Architect's competition entry for a new stadium for Ruch Chorzów, one of Poland‘s largest football clubs, offers a capacity for 12,000 and provision for up to 16,000 seats. The design encourages the stadium and its surroundings to act as a new civic point of reference for Chorzów as part of a wider complex of shops and restaurants. The architects' understanding of the movement of people on match days is complimented by the facilities that the new stadium will offer to visitors seven days a week, the design for which will provide Ruch Chorzów with a state-of-the-art football pitch and associated amenities.
The entire complex includes the stadium, a regular sized football field for training, and a "Sports Village" with meeting spaces, shops for fans, and dining amenities. The designers intend for the stadium area to be accessible throughout the week, becoming an important civic area for the city. Large roofs supported by slender pilotis (steel columns filled with concrete) provide shelter over the plaza and entrance spaces, and are hoped will become popular areas to host events. According to the architects, "the real advantage of this roof is to make the stadium a building that blends between the external environment and internal environment."
