Stadionul Rapid-Giulești – stadium description
How did the new Rapid Bucharest stadium
get built?
The contract for the construction of Rapid Bucharest's👍 new stadium was
signed on November 1, 2024. The main contractor was a consortium of three companies,
Construcții Erbașu, Concelex👍 and Terra Gaz Construct. The project was carried out under
the design and build formula. The investment was managed by👍 Compania Națională de
Investiții (CNI) on behalf of the Ministry of Development, Public Works and
Administration. The architectural design was👍 the responsibility of Construcţii Erbaşu
SA and Popp & Asociaţii SRL, in cooperation with other parties.
The value of the
contract👍 was more than 98.3 million lei (this amount increased to more than 185.3
million lei at the end). The investment👍 was financed by government funds, as part of
the improvement of the infrastructure of the leading football venues in the👍 capital
(the same programme also funded the construction of the new Steaua stadium and the
Arcul de Triumf stadium). The👍 venue was due to reach functionality in May 2024, so that
it could become one of the training facilities during👍 Euro 2024.
How did the
construction of Rapid Bucharest's new stadium proceed?
The facility was to replace
Rapid's previous stadium, the outdated👍 Stadionul Giuleşti-Valentin Stănescu, which
opened in 1939. In January 2024, demolition of the old stadium began and construction
of the👍 new arena began in its place. Development suffered a significant delay and the
venue was not ready for Euro 2024,👍 even though the event was postponed by a year due to
the COVID-19 pandemic.
What was the name given to Rapid👍 Bucharest's new
stadium?
Initially, the new venue was to be called Rapid Arena. However, in 2024 it was
decided to name👍 it Stadionul Rapid-Giulești, similar to that of its predecessor,
although already without Valentin Stănescu as patron. The member Giulești refers👍 to the
name of the district where the stadium is located.
When was the new Stadionul
Rapid-Giulești opened?
The official inauguration of👍 the stadium took place on March 26,
2024. The opening ceremony included a match between legends and a laser show,👍 and the
highlight of the evening was Rapid's friendly match against Politehnica Timișoara
(1:0). The first league match at the👍 new facility took place on April 2, 2024 (Rapid -
FC Botoșani 3:0). On May 19, 2024, the final match👍 of the Romanian Cup was played at
the venue (Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe - FC Voluntari 2:1), and in June 2024,👍 the first two
matches at Rapid's new stadium, in the League of Nations, were played by the Romanian
national team.
What👍 are the features of Stadionul Rapid-Giulești?
The stadium has a
football-specific layout, with stands located behind the end lines of the👍 pitch.
Between the stand behind the north goal and the pitch, there is still a straight,
60-metre long running track👍 with four tracks. This is a reference to the old stadium,
where the space behind the north goal was also👍 covered with tartan. The arena's pitch
is equipped with a hybrid turf, drainage and heating system.
The auditorium of the
stadium👍 is fully covered. The main stand on the west side has VIP boxes and has been
divided into two tiers.👍 The capacity of the facility is 14,050 spectators. The seats in
the stands are in three maroon shades, a number👍 of white chairs form the inscriptions
"Rapid", "1923" (the year the club was founded) and the Rapid logo. The upper👍 sections
are inclined at a slightly steeper angle.
The facility is located on a rather tight
plot of land, bounded on👍 the west by the street that runs through it, on the east by
the railway tracks, on the north by👍 the sports hall and on the south by the theatre
building and the indoor swimming pool. The spatial constraints significantly👍 influenced
the shape of the stadium.
As the railway tracks run very close to the north-east
corner, this angle is clearly👍 'truncated'. For symmetry, a similar treatment has been
applied to the south-east corner, although there is still some open space👍 behind it.
The eastern stand differs considerably in shape from the others and is also noticeably
lower than them. The👍 division of the main stand into two tiers has enabled some space
to be gained.
The space underneath the auditorium has👍 been used for numerous purposes,
including eight training areas, a 60-metre indoor track, a small bowling alley and
hotel rooms.👍 The building also contains offices, changing rooms, toilets, storage
areas, a conference room, catering facilities and space for the club👍 shop and museum.
With the additional functions, the facility is expected to be used throughout the week,
not just on👍 match days. The stadium has 184 parking spaces, 164 of which are
underground.
From the outside, the building is covered with👍 a non-uniform façade. The
building is clad in vertical slats, white and black panels, has lots of windows, and a
👍 prominent, night-lit sign with the name of the stadium has been placed on the exterior
of the main stand. Numerous👍 concrete pillars rise above the structure, supporting the
roof structure.
The roof is made of trapezoidal sheet metal and finished with👍 narrow
glazed sections. The canopy is fitted with floodlights; as the covering of the eastern
stand is slightly lower, a👍 special frame has been fitted there, so that the spotlights
in this section are at the same height as the👍 others. The floodlights produce a light
intensity of 2000 lux. Under the roof, above the stands behind the goalposts, there👍 are
two LED screens.
