César Azcárate, IDOM’s sports and events director and architect, is very satisfied with the remodelling of the Estadio de la Cerámica

Objective achieved. César Azcárate, IDOM’s architect and sports and events director, has analysed the remodelling process that the Estadio de la Cerámica is undergoing and has expressed his satisfaction at the great effort made by all the parties involved to ensure that the home of the Yellows is ready for next Saturday’s match against Valencia CF (4:15pm CET).

“It has been an impressive challenge because it was not easy to achieve. We are going to be able to play the first game, which was the president’s objective. We have taken advantage of the World Cup break to make a big push. We have done it in record time thanks to the collaboration of everyone. We have all worked together, which was the only way to achieve it. There is still work to be done, but we have managed to make the first match possible. We are very satisfied with this great effort”, he commented.

For Azcárate, it has not been at all easy: “The project has a dual nature. One is the project itself, which was not easy. It is a project to give a unified image to the Estadio de la Cerámica. The aim was to enhance it by giving it an identity. But the most complicated thing was to combine the project with the work. We had to use the fast-track model, which means doing the projects at the same time as the work. This has been achieved thanks to the harmony of all the parties involved. A refurbishment is always more difficult than a construction from scratch. It is much more complicated to achieve the objectives.”

The works at the Estadio de la Cerámica will continue until March, but the look of the stadium is already spectacular. “The truth is that it is turning out just as we imagined it. We want to make it unified and give it the space it lacked before because of the buildings attached to it. Thousands of metres of surface area have been freed up for the city itself. Inside, the design will now make the stadium a pressure cooker. We have about three months to go before the work is finished. That’s when it will be perfect,” he said.

Dos detalles de la obra han sido especialmente emocionantes para César Azcárate: “La megacercha es muy potente y cubre la grada norte. Ha sido uno de los momentos más complicados de la remodelación. Poder realizar ese montaje dentro del casco urbano ha sido emocionante. La grada sur antes no tenía esa conexión con la plaza. Al colocarle esa gran ventana los aficionados podrán visualizar la ciudad desde dentro del estadio. Se convierte en el punto más importante del estadio. Es la grada que más usos va a tener. Con el Restaurante El Ceramista en la parte baja, un futuro museo… Esta grada sur permite al estadio abrirse a la ciudad. Será un lugar que estará activo para casi todos los días del año”.

Two details of the work have been particularly exciting for Azcárate: “The Fondo Norte and the covering of is hugely impressive. It was one of the most complicated moments of the transformation. To be able to set it up inside an urban setting has been exciting. The Fondo Sur didn’t have that connection with the square before. By placing that big window, the fans will be able to see the city from inside the stadium. It becomes the most important point of the stadium. It is the stand that will have the most uses. With the El Ceramista restaurant in the lower part, a future museum… The Fondo Sur allows the stadium to open up to the city. It will be a place that will be active almost every day of the year.”

Finally, IDOM’s architect and director of sports and events highlighted the atmosphere that will be experienced inside the Estadio de la Cerámica from now on: “The unified aesthetics will help to improve the spectators’ experience. The atmosphere will be spectacular. The connection between team and fans is going to be achieved with this ambitious remodelling of the Estadio de la Cerámica.”