Star City is more than just stadium - the Portuguese presented project for construction of future complex on Topčider

On Saturday, May 29, FC Crvena Zvezda (Red Star) celebrated the 19th anniversary since it won the European Cup in Bari and declared that whole generation as "the sixth Zvezda's star". That was also the occasion for numerous guests at the gala night and TV audience to see the project for the new stadium or, as Dragoslav Šekularac called it that evening, the Star City project.

According to the estimates of the authorized people, construction should have to start in two years and not before. The author of the project is Portuguese architect Mario Sua Kay.

- I hope that, in association with my Portuguese partners and local partners in Belgrade, we will be able to implement the project that the city of Belgrade and Crvena Zvezda fans deserve. The project represents a new-generation solution that will replace already existing facility – Sua Kay stated for FC Crvena Zvezda's website (www.crvenazvezdafk.com).

He adds that that project is, however, much more than just a stadium because it comprises a big shopping center, a hotel, residential blocks and an underground parking lot.

- Spacious green surfaces will provide a quality public space that will benefit the whole community. There should also be certain traffic infrastructure within the complex. Integration of all these functions into a coherent whole is what separates this project from typical "lonesome" stadiums, which are so frequent in the world.

Mario Sua Kay then thoroughly explained all the advantages of the future infrastructure.

- One example of numerous possibilities is construction of an indoor "piazza" between the stadium and suggested shopping center, which will facilitate visits in both summer and winter conditions and, thus, enable its use for markets, coffee shops and restaurants, and there will also be a space for temporary exhibitions and performances. The ticket shop and club stores can also be situated within this indoor space, so that the visit to the shopping center and restaurants would positively affect the sales of tickets and goods in the club stores. The street level of the stadium will be designed to encompass a fitness center, clinic, spa center, stores, as well as all entrances to the stadium and control points. The hotel will be offering services to both business community and tourists, as well as to guest teams - Sua Kay said for Crvena Zvezda's website.

Special solutions are planned for the roofs of the stadium and the shopping center.

- The roof of the shopping center will be a public balcony that can be entered from the shopping center itself, and it will be the space with some of the most beatiful views of the city panorama. The roof of the stadium will be covered with solar panels and the stadium's needs for energy will be satisfied in that way. The roof will also be used to collect rain for watering the football field and green surfaces in the complex.

The Portuguese did not forget about the tradition of the name of Crvena Zvezda and the symbol of our club.

- We put effort into making this stadium recognizable as the stadium of Crvena Zvezda. That is why we designed the main structure of the stadium in the shape of pentagonal star, which is the symbol of the club. The highest building standards will be applied to the whole complex. Steel, glass and natural materials will be used with the aim of enabling implementation of modern and innovative architectural solutions and making the complex of FC Crvena Zvezda unique and recognizable feature of Belgrade.

At the beginning of the negotiations, Crvena Zvezda also asked to play its matches on the stadium at 1a Ljutice Bogdana Street during the construction of the new complex.

- I would like to confirm that one of the club's condition is that the existing football field must be in function during the whole period of construction. This can be achieved with the construction of a stadium inside the stadium, that is, half of the stadium will be built on the existing foundations, and then the other half will be built.

At the end, the Portuguese architect gave some concrete information on the sizes of certain facilities within Star City.

- In this phase of the project, these are approximate numbers. They are as follows: stadium (50,000 seats) - 120,000 square meters, shopping center (above the ground) - 75,000 square meters, office towers (above the ground) - 95,000 square meters, hotel (above the ground) - 16,000 square meters, housing space (above the ground) - 42,000 square meters, total - 348,000 square meters.