The Mercedes-Benz Arena, home of VfB Stuttgart, will be modernized from May. Photo: Marijan Murat/dpa. (Source: dpa)
Stuttgart (dpa) – The schedule for the conversion of the Stuttgart Mercedes-Benz Arena is taking on concrete features. Work in one of the venues for the 2024 European Football Championship is scheduled to begin in May, according to VfB.
According to the Bundesliga club, the main grandstand will be completely rebuilt in the lower part and extended up to the roof supports. New team cabins, sports function rooms, a new media center, another business area and a modern production kitchen are to be created. From the summer of 2023, the fan curve will have almost 2,000 additional standing places and a separate area for wheelchair users.
According to VfB, the focus is both on sustainable construction and on sustainable use of the arena. The stadium will be renovated by early 2024 while the game is still going on. As a result, only parts of the upper tier of the main grandstand can be used during this time.
“Stuttgarter Nachrichten” and “Stuttgarter Zeitung” reported in mid-February that the modernization of the stadium will be significantly more expensive than initially expected. The reasons for this are the increased material prices and the problem of receiving offers from subcontractors. Originally, 60 million euros were estimated for the construction measures. In the meantime, the conversion is said to have been estimated at 98.5 million euros.