Cluj Arena receives Popular Choice award at the Architizer A+Awards

The architectural project Cluj Arena has recently received the Popular Choice award at the Architizer A+Awards for the Institutional Winners – Sports. The Arena replaces the former Ion Moina Municipal Stadium in Cluj- Napoca. Its location within the city has a privileged position in the axis of leisure and sport developed along the course of the SomesRiver, being very easily approachable and near downtown.

The central location was a challenge from the beginning when defining the architecture of the new Stadium arose. The concept is based on the integration strategy of the Arena within the city’s main promenade that starts at the West end of the Historic Center with the Central Gardens, and continues in the Municipal swimming pool areas and the stadium unto the group of buildings formed by Horia Demian sports hall and the group of natation of the Technical University, being followed by the Iuliu Hategan Sports Park including the sports facilities of the Babes-Bolyai University and then continues the Rose Park, managed by the City Hall and a Tennis Club.

The most important conceptual element for this project is the transparency and visual connections between the contextual environment and indoor. This transparency aims primarily the visual and mental permeability designed to maintain constant relationship between the public and the magic green rectangle of the grass court or the athletic track.

At the Architizer A+Awards, projects from more than 100 countries participated. The Cluj Arena project, signed by the Romanian architecture office Dico and Tiganus, was voted as the Popular Choice Winner, after three weeks of online voting.

Oana Vasiliu