Allianz Parque

For the old stadium, see Estádio Palestra Itália.
Allianz Parque
Location São Paulo, SP, Brazil
Owner Palmeiras
Operator WTorre Properties
Executive suites 178
Capacity 43,600 (FIFA matches)
12,000 (Amphitheater)
55,000 (shows/concerts)
Field size 105 x 68 m
Surface Bermuda Tifgrand
Construction
Opened 2014
Construction cost R$ 630 million
Architect Edo Rocha
Project manager WTorre
Structural engineer WTorre
Tenants
Palmeiras (2014–Present)

Allianz Parque, popularly known as Palestra Itália Arena, is a multipurpose stadium in São Paulo, Brazil, built to receive shows, concerts, corporate events and especially football matches of Sociedade Esportiva Palmeiras, the site owner.

The stadium has one of the most modern multipurpose spaces in the country, and its stadium meets all of FIFA's standards, accrediting it to receive the most relevant sports tournaments. With construction starting in 2010, was completed in November 2014.

The new stadium was built by the company WTorre Properties/Arenas, belonging to WTorre Group, located on the same place of the old Palestra Italia Stadium, also popularly known as Parque Antarctica.

Location

Aerial view of Allianz Parque in November 2014

The stadium is located on Pompeia Village, in the west zone of São Paulo city. Near to the stadium, there are Palmeiras-Barra Funda Subway Station, Água Branca Metropolitan Train Station and several bus lines. For drivers, parking service adjacent to the Allianz Parque, with capacity for 2,000 cars, plus 4,800 parking spaces in two malls located nearby. The complex is situated only 4 km from Paulista Avenue and 5 km from Central Zone of São Paulo. Besides, there are 9 hotels 5 stars in a radius of 6 km, more than 8,000 hospitalar beds at a distance of 5 km, apart from Congonhas Airport and Guarulhos Airport, at 13 and 30 km of distance, respectively.

History

Background

Agreement

The transformation of the former Palestra Italia Stadium in arena is the result of an agreement signed between Palmeiras and the company WTorre Properties/Arenas, belonging to WTorre Group. WTorre will manage the site for 30 years, and Palmeiras will profit 100% with the ticket sales at soccer games. According to the agreement between Palmeiras and WTorre, all expenses for the use of the arena, such as water, electricity, security, cleaning, insurance, lawn maintenance, shall be borne by the entrepreneur. WTorre will hire a specialized company to manage the complex, passing onto Palmeiras an increasing percentage of the revenue with sponsorships, box seats and shows amongst others, starting on the first day of the complex's operation. At the end of this 30-year period, Palmeiras will integrate the whole enterprise, putting an end to the deal with company.[1]

Partnerships

Friendly match between Palmeiras and Red Bull Brasil at Allianz Parque, January 2015

On September 30, 2009, WTorre completed the partnership with Traffic Group for marketing properties of the arena, such as the naming rights, cabins, special chairs, restaurants, cafes and shops, among others. The sports media company will market the spaces used in sporting, musical, social and corporate events.[2][3]

On October 6, 2011, Palmeiras and WTorre announced the agreement with Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG),[4] to manage events in the arena. In turn, AEG made a partnership with Blue Box Company, that will provide consulting services to the US company of the best services in the Brazilian territory.[5]

On April 24, 2013, WTorre announced the naming rights agreement with the Allianz company, which holds the rights to name five other sporting arenas: the Allianz Arena in Germany, the Allianz Stadium in Australia; Allianz Park in England; Allianz Riviera, in France; and Allianz Stadion, under construction, in Austria. The agreement with the insurance company is valid for 20 years, with an option to renew for another 10 at the end of the period. The deal is estimated at R$300 million.[6]

On April 29, 2013, Allianz announced three name options for the arena: Allianz Parque, Allianz Center and Allianz 360º.[7] On June 6, 2013, with 89% of over 620 thousand votes registered on the official website of the enterprise, the name "Allianz Parque" was announced. The other two options had 7% and 4% of the votes, respectively.

On March 13, 2014, WTorre and AEG announced the agreement with the Gourmet Sports Hospitality company, belonging to Kofler & Kompanie (K&K) Group, from Germany. The agreement provides chef services on game days and buffets for corporate events, conferences, concerts and other events that occur on site. In the stadium there is a central kitchen of 1,500 m² and ten support kitchens, three lounges and 46 cafeterias and kiosks to serve the public on game days and corporate events. Up to 500 people can work in these places in a day with maximum capacity. The company's contract is valid for 20 years.

International friendly match between Palmeiras and Shandong Luneng at Allianz Parque, January 2015

WTorre announced a partnership with Works Brazil Agency, a Works UK subsidiary, to perform the visual brand identity of the arena. In partnership with Allianz, the arena branding project was developed from its main logo. All communication elements associated with the brand "Allianz Parque", including banners, signboards, tickets, merchandising and other applications, were prepared for print and digital content. Similar projects have been developed by the company for corporations, national and international associations and international sports federations, such as IAAF, FIFA, FIVB, FIBA, FIH and NBA.[8]

To organize events, from small conferences to large concerts, AEG hired Susan Darrington, former vice-president of the CenturyLink Field, largest stadium in Seattle, home field for the Seattle Seahawks and Seattle Sounders FC, for the position of general manager of the arena. Darrington will have primary responsibility for raising revenue for the Allianz Parque, with the initial goal of attracting about 300 events per year.[9]

On March 18, 2015, was inaugurated the "Allianz Parque Tour", which offers a guide service to the public with a trained Arena guide.[10] In partnership with Futebol Tour company, the service offers a narrative journey through exclusive areas of the stadium, such as press boxes, cabins, convention center, press conference area, dressing rooms and field of play, with duration of about 1 hour.[11]

Inauguration

The first official game at Allianz Parque was held on November 19, 2014, between Palmeiras and Sport in the Brazilian Série A, when hosts Palmeiras lost to Sport Recife 0–2. The first official goal of the stadium was scored by Ananias.

Statistics

Biggest attendances

Nº Attendance Home Team Score Visiting Team Date Competition
1 39.479 Palmeiras 1–0 Santos April 26, 2015 2015 Campeonato Paulista
2 35.939 Palmeiras 0–2 Sport Recife November 19, 2014 2014 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A
3 35.437 Palmeiras 1–0 Botafogo-SP April 12, 2015 2015 Campeonato Paulista
4 33.151 Palmeiras 1–1 Atlético-PR December 7, 2014 2014 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A
5 32.134 Palmeiras 2–0 Capivariano February 28, 2015 2015 Campeonato Paulista

Biggest grosses

Nº Gross Home Team Score Visiting Team Date Competition
1 R$ 4.915.885,00 Palmeiras 0–2 Sport Recife November 19, 2014 2014 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A
2 R$ 4.181.281,25 Palmeiras 1–0 Santos April 26, 2015 2015 Campeonato Paulista
3 R$ 2.976.260,00 Palmeiras 1–1 Atlético-PR December 7, 2014 2014 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A
4 R$ 2.646.893,75 Palmeiras 0–1 Corinthians February 8, 2015 2015 Campeonato Paulista
5 R$ 2.578.175,00 Palmeiras 2–0 Capivariano February 28, 2015 2015 Campeonato Paulista

Palmeiras soccer games in the Arena

Soccer games in the Allianz Parque
Game Date Home Team Score Visiting Team Competition Attendance Gross Reference
1 November 19, 2014 Palmeiras 0–2 Sport Campeonato Brasileiro Série A 35.939R$4.915.885,00
2 December 7, 2014 Palmeiras 1–1 Atlético-PR Campeonato Brasileiro Série A 33.151R$2.976.260,00
3 January 17, 2015 Palmeiras 3–1 Shandong Luneng Exhibition game 27.013R$1.568.020,00
4 January 25, 2015 Palmeiras 3–2 Red Bull Brasil Exhibition game 20.151R$944.345,00
5 January 31, 2015 Audax 1–3 Palmeiras Campeonato Paulista 24.894R$1.655.220,00
6 February 5, 2015 Palmeiras 0–1 Ponte Preta Campeonato Paulista 24.695R$1.765.765,00
7 February 8, 2015 Palmeiras 0–1 Corinthians Campeonato Paulista 28.869R$2.646.893,75
8 February 11, 2015 Palmeiras 3–0 Rio Claro Campeonato Paulista 17.528R$1.134.780,00
9 February 28, 2015 Palmeiras 2–0 Capivariano Campeonato Paulista 32.134R$2.578.175,00
10 March 7, 2015 Palmeiras 1–0 Bragantino Campeonato Paulista 29.452R$2.223.055,00
11 March 15, 2015 Palmeiras 1–0 XV de Piracicaba Campeonato Paulista 26.199R$1.897.635,00
12 March 25, 2015 Palmeiras 3–0 São Paulo Campeonato Paulista 25.804R$2.187.256,25
13 April 4, 2015 Palmeiras 3–1 Mogi Mirim Campeonato Paulista 29.536R$2.212.515,00
14 April 12, 2015 Palmeiras 1–0 Botafogo-SP Campeonato Paulista 35.437R$2.498.585,00
15 April 26, 2015 Palmeiras 1–0 Santos Campeonato Paulista 39.479R$4.181.281,25
TOTAL GAMES = 15


Panoramic view of Allianz Parque, in January 2015.

Musical shows

Paul McCartney, first big event in the Arena

International

On November 25 and 26, 2014, Paul McCartney performed in the arena and completed his tour Out There in Brazil.[12] About 48,000 people attended the first presentation.[13] In the next day, almost 40 thousand fans watched the English singer show.[14]

The British singer Rod Stewart will perform a concert at the Arena on September 19, 2015, a day before his show at Rock in Rio.[15][16] In turn, the American singer Katy Perry will make a concert at the site on September 25, 2015, on her The Prismatic World Tour.[17][18]

National

The Brazilian singer Roberto Carlos performed at the Arena on April 18, 2015, in commemoration of his 74th birthday. Over 50,000 people attended the presentation.[19] Moreover, the arena is negotiating to receive a country music festival yet in 2015.

Other events

On December 18, 2014, the arena hosted the UFC Fight Night: Machida vs. Dollaway official training session, opened for fans and media and sponsored by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). In addition, attended the training Brazilian athletes Renan Barão, Antônio Carlos Júnior, Erick Silva and Elias Silverio, beyond the Canadian fighter Mitch Gagnon.[20]

On January 25, 2015, just before the friendly match between Palmeiras and Red Bull Brasil, when Palmeiras won by 3-2, the Arena hosted a Freestyle Motocross (FMX) show, a freestyle football presentation and even a paraglider landing on the grass, among other actions promoted by both clubs. The Palmeiras former players Evair, Ademir da Guia and Rosemiro attended to the event.[21] After these presentations, there was the exhibition game in celebration of the 100 years since Palmeiras played their historical first game ever, when Palestra Italia (changed to Palmeiras after WWII) played against Sport Club Savoia on January 24, 1915, winning 2:0 and their first title, Savoia Cup.[22]

On March 28, 2015, the Arena hosted a friendly farewell match in honor of the former attacking midfielder Alex, who had an winning history at Palmeiras between 1997 and 2000 seasons. With the presence of several players and club idols, the Palmeiras champion team, winner of the 1999 Copa Libertadores, won "Friends of Alex" by 5-3 with two goals from Alex.[23]

The arena may also host, in August 2015, the final of the League of Legends Brazilian Tournament.[24] The arena can host a soccer exhibition game of Brazil national football team in order to prepare for the 2015 Copa América.

General features

First game during the inauguration of Allianz Parque, November 2014

Allianz Parque has 43,600 covered seats, 178 private boxes from 12 to 21 seats,[25] a panoramic restaurant, cafes, shops, convention center with modular structure for up to 1,500 visitors, media center for up to 1,000 media members, a multimedia memorial space with the history of the club and an adjacent covered parking for up to 2,000 cars, with exclusive spaces for motorcycles and bike rack. Multiple events such as shows and concerts, can receive up to 55 thousand spectators.

Aiming to facilitate the goers movement, as well as cleaning the bleachers, chairs are not fixed to the floor, but on metal rails, the same model used in Wembley Stadium. In some sectors, the seats and backrests are upholstered with or without arms. The chairs are composed of three shades of green, giving rise to a geometric design inspired by arecaceae leaves.

The changing rooms have similar dimensions: a 355 m² room to the home team, and a 270 m² to the visiting team. The biggest has wooden cabinet with identification of athletes and a "community" cabinet to hold large amount of objects. In the bathrooms there are two hot tubs and an individual one, for immersion.[26]

View from the upper deck of Allianz Parque in December 2014

The Allianz Parque complex comes with a Multisport Building, erected where once was located the old gym club. The new building has about 10 thousand square meters, spread over 4 floors and is served by three elevators. Downstairs, there is a gymnasium with seating for approximately 1,500 fans built to host basketball, futsal and volleyball games. Two intermediate floors with about 2 thousand square meters each other were designed to receive multisport activities. On the rooftop, there is a synthetic grass court for soccer practice, with an area of almost 2000 meters to over 48 meters high. An unprecedented architectural solution in Brazil allows the visitors to enjoy the outside scenery, good ventilation and lots of natural light.

There is also a Multipurpose Building, designed based on the architectural concept developed by architect Tomás Taveira. It has approximately 13 thousand m², spread over 6 floors plus ground floor. The building offers 8 changing rooms, 12 toilets and 6 elevators. The building facilities are for the use of club management, besides the indoor sports like judo and gymnastics; there is even a noble space on the top floor, which offers panoramic views of the club and the region.

The attractions of Allianz Parque are open to the general public. Access to club facilities, however, remains restricted to members of the Sociedade Esportiva Palmeiras.

Implementations

Allianz Parque coverage details, November 2014

On March 12, 2013, WTorre announced the acquisition of 64 security cameras. The equipment, valued at R$15 million, has high definition and is capable of performing face recognition of all visitors. The technology, witch is used in high-traffic venues, such as airports in Europe and USA, is able to immediately identify non-standard behaviors, i.e., fights and vandalism acts. The security software can archive images of faces to compare them later, even people using caps and goggles.[27]

In early 2014, the WTorre announced the acquisition of two high-definition video screens to be installed inside the stadium. With costs estimated at R$7 million, the equipment has 13,44m x 7,68m format, each with more than 103m² area. The screens are installed at the ends of lawns, behind the goals, enabling the display of any content without the need for adaptation. The models feature white LED structure and shun conventional standards, with a resolution (16mm) 20% higher compared to others. Thus, in all the seats of the stadium there is a good view of the images.

A solution developed by architect Edo Rocha, responsible for the arena project, was to coat the entire facade with drilled stainless steel that causes an optical art effect,[28] with hollow spaces that resemble an wicker basket.[29] The use of stainless steel ensures the best use of natural ventilation and lighting, in addition to functioning as a passive solar control element in order to moderate the temperature in the environment. There is the importance of the material is highly durable, low maintenance and cleaning, because is washed in the rain.[30] Furthermore, the use of that material aims to make outdoor advertising and serves to impact both visitors and pedestrians.

Facade coated with drilled stainless steel

The arena roof is fully integrated into the facade, i.e., without the pillars, increasing the space for visitors. There are 33 meters vertically between the floor and the ceiling of the stadium, which protects 100% of the bleachers. Developed by Usiminas, a tubular metal frame and zipped thermo tiles provide the most pleasant sensations to the public, reducing the temperature by 2 °C between the level of the field and the upper seats and also the outside noises of the streets.

Around the playing field, was installed a transparent polycarbonate cover to allow the maximum amount of sunlight to reach the ground. The Aviva Stadium in Dublin, and the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, are some of the few in the world that use this technology.

Regarding environmental issues, the Allianz Parque has a system to capture rainwater that falls on the roof of the stadium, which has 23 thousand square meters. Thus, the collected water can be reused in different sectors of the arena, preventing stormwater is overloaded.

Accessibility

According to the builder, in the arena there are 889 spaces for wheelchair users, 778 seats for the handicapped, 122 seats for obese, 63 accessible bathrooms distributed in all sectors: lower and upper stands and cabins. Furthermore, there are 15 elevators, 26 escalators, ramps and special box office. In the parking lot, there are forty-nine vacancies for people with special needs (PSN) located near to the elevators and 78 places for the elderly. Thus, the adjustments exceed the recommendations of the Brazilian standard and also FIFA.

Visibility

Allianz Parque in December 2014

The Allianz Parque has received much praise from the world's media, such as the Spanish site Elgoldigital.com, which considered it the most spectacular arena in the world,[31] and the site Goal.com by Italian version, which defined it as the new contemporary architectural jewel of São Paulo.[32]

On February 19, 2015, the Allianz Parque was named by popular vote the Stadium of The Year 2014.[33] The leading competition was organized by Stadiony.net and StadiumDB.com, two websites dedicated to sports stadia. The competition was for venues opened in 2014, with Palmeiras stadium among 32 entries worldwide. Between January 17 and February 17, 2015, Allianz Parque got about 34,000 votes and 134,725 points. San Mamés Barria, in Spain, and Otkritie Arena, in Russia, have had 96,712 and 89,518 points each one and figured on second and third place, respectively. The renovated century-old Palestra Italia competed with seven other Brazilian arenas: Arena Corinthians, Arena da Amazônia, Arena da Baixada, Arena das Dunas, Arena Pantanal, Beira Rio and Estádio Kléber Andrade.[34]

Popular culture

To celebrate the opening of Allianz Parque, Allianz launched in December 2014 the mini-game Allianz Goal for Xbox Live, a online gaming service of Microsoft's Xbox consoles. The game content, designed in partnership with Ogilvy & Mather, a WPP company,[35] aims to make football fans, especially young people, experience the brand of the Arena and interact with photos and information about this and five other arenas sponsored by Allianz around the world.[36]

Awards

Allianz Parque facade, February 2015

On September 3, 2014, the architectural design of the arena received the Master Award at the 11th edition of the Grand Prix of Corporate Architecture, considered one of the most important architecture awards in Latin America. The arena also received the Sports Spotlight Award, category "Completed Work". The award was based on two evaluation criteria: architectural quality and benefits of the project for the region, noting various sectors of activity, such as health, education, sports, hotels, offices, etc.[37]

On November 12, 2014, the construction of the arena was awarded in the category "Environmental Management at Works" at the 3rd Seconci Award for Occupational Safety and Health, organized by the São Paulo State Civil Construction Social Services (SECONCI-SP). Among the environmental management system implemented by the construction company, there were an waste management plan, erosion prevention measures, soil and water pollution control, water reuse and engineering control of noise levels. About 90% of all waste was reused or recycled, with 16 thousand cubic meters used in the work itself. The Palestra Italia stadium's old grass field was donated to the Mayor of the City of São Paulo to be reused in a town square.[38][39]

References

  1. ↑ http://esportes.estadao.com.br/noticias/futebol,david-beckham-apresenta-novo-parceiro-da-arena-palestra,782040
  2. ↑ http://www.lancenet.com.br/palmeiras/noticias/09-09-26/624630.stm?wtorre-e-traffic-assinam-contrato-dia-30
  3. ↑ http://site.allianzparque.com.br/espaco
  4. ↑ http://www.estadao.com.br/noticias/arteelazer,palmeiras-firma-contrato-com-o-aeg,782166,0.htm
  5. ↑ http://maquinadoesporte.uol.com.br/artigo/entrevista-beto-lima_270.html
  6. ↑ http://www.estadao.com.br/noticias/esportes,allianz-fecha-acordo-de-naming-rights-da-arena-palestra,1024970,0.htm
  7. ↑ http://www1.folha.uol.com.br/esporte/2013/04/1270508-seguradora-ignora-palestra-e-da-3-opcoes-de-nome-para-estadio-do-palmeiras.shtml
  8. ↑ http://esporte.surgiu.com.br/noticia/150664/allianz-parque-nova-arena-do-palmeiras-tera-moderna-identidade-visual.html
  9. ↑ http://veja.abril.com.br/noticia/esporte/nova-parceira-do-palmeiras-planeja-reduzir-agenda-de-shows-do-morumbi
  10. ↑ http://www.palmeiras.com.br/noticias/ler/35317-com-idolo-marcos-palmeiras-tour-inaugura-visitas-guiadas-ao-allianz-parque
  11. ↑ http://www.allianzparque.com.br/programe/tour
  12. ↑ http://g1.globo.com/sao-paulo/musica/noticia/2014/10/paul-mccartney-fara-show-extra-em-sp.html
  13. ↑ ""Esgotam ingressos para show de Paul em SP; produtora confirma data extra", UOL, visitado em 07/03/2015".
  14. ↑ ""Pré-venda de segundo show de McCartney em SP dura 30 minutos", Terra, visitado em 07/03/2015".
  15. ↑ http://www.dgabc.com.br/Noticia/1305117/rod-stewart-se-apresentara-em-sp-no-dia-19-de-setembro
  16. ↑ http://g1.globo.com/musica/rock-in-rio/2015/noticia/2015/04/katy-perry-queen-e-system-down-anunciam-shows-alem-do-rock-rio.html
  17. ↑ http://musica.uol.com.br/noticias/redacao/2015/04/14/katy-perry-anuncia-shows-em-sao-paulo-e-curitiba-em-setembro.htm#fotoNav=8
  18. ↑ http://www.katyperry.com/events/
  19. ↑ http://ego.globo.com/famosos/noticia/2015/04/roberto-carlos-comemora-74-anos-em-show-em-sao-paulo.html
  20. ↑ http://www.ufc.com/media/ufn-barueri-mediaday-gallery
  21. ↑ http://esportes.estadao.com.br/noticias/futebol,palmeiras-toma-susto-mas-derrota-o-red-bull-na-estreia-de-dudu,1624708
  22. ↑ http://www.tribunadabahia.com.br/2015/01/24/palmeiras-comemora-os-100-anos
  23. ↑ http://www.todayszaman.com/sports_memories-of-alexs-emotional-testimonial-may-last-a-lifetime_376666.html
  24. ↑ http://jogos.uol.com.br/ultimas-noticias/2015/01/15/final-do-brasileiro-2015-de-league-of-legends-sera-na-arena-do-palmeiras.htm
  25. ↑ http://www.camarotesallianzparque.com.br/camarotes.php
  26. ↑ http://www.estadao.com.br/noticias/esportes,estadio-do-palmeiras-vai-ter-vestiario-com-estrutura-de-primeira,1160804,0.htm
  27. ↑ http://esporte.uol.com.br/futebol/ultimas-noticias/2013/03/12/empresa-gasta-r-15-milhoes-em-cameras-de-seguranca-para-arena-palestra.htm
  28. ↑ http://steelsul.com.br/allianz-parque-o-mais-moderno-estadio-do-pais-tem-280-toneladas-de-inox-em-sua-fachada/
  29. ↑ http://www.galeriadaarquitetura.com.br/projeto/edo-rocha-arquiteturas_/allianz-parque/395
  30. ↑ http://www.hunterdouglas.com.br/ap/br/enews/controle-solar/elementos-de-protecao-solar/7f-stripweave/hunter-douglas-e-allianz-parque
  31. ↑ http://www.elgoldigital.com/1-allianz-parque-palmeiras-2/
  32. ↑ http://www.goal.com/it/news/2/serie-a/2014/06/10/4872443/supercoppa-italiana-fra-juventus-e-napoli-prende-quota
  33. ↑ http://stadiumdb.com/news/2015/02/stadium_of_the_year_public_vote_winner_allianz_parque
  34. ↑ http://stadiumdb.com/competitions/stadium_of_the_year_2014
  35. ↑ http://www.ogilvy.pt/agencia_ogilvy_mather.html#3
  36. ↑ http://grandesnomesdapropaganda.com.br/anunciantes/allianz-parque-vira-palco-de-jogo-para-xbox-live/
  37. ↑ http://www.caubr.gov.br/?p=30907
  38. ↑ http://www.fispvirtual.com.br/seconci-sp-premiou-no-dia-12-de-novembro-os-melhores-cases-de-saude-e-seguranca-do-trabalho-em-canteiros-de-obra-do-estado-de-sao-paulo/
  39. ↑ http://www.premioseconci-sp.com.br/3edicao/vencedores_3_edicao.asp

External links

Coordinates: 23°31′39.2″S 46°40′42.3″W / 23.527556°S 46.678417°W