Work on the Motera cricket stadium in New Delhi, which is set to overtake the Melbourne’s "G" as the largest in the world, is 90% complete and on course to be finished by January, according to the Times of India.
The original ground was built in 1982 and then was demolished in 2015 to make way for a bigger and better version, designed by Anglo-Australian architect Populous.
When complete, this will stand will hold 110,000 spectators, twice the number of seats of its predecessor, and 10,000 more than Melbourne.
It will also offer LED floodlights for the first time in India, as well as lavish corporate and media facilities, and an Olympic-sized swimming pool.
Construction on the $100m facility began in 2017 and was to take two years. Populous comments that this was a tight timeframe. Extra pressure was placed on the project team by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s backing of the scheme.
Populous’ design for the completed stadium (Populous)
Amit Shah, the president of the Gujarat Cricket Association commented in August: "This project is the vision of our prime minister. It was his dream that Gujarat, and India, should have a world-class infrastructure in cricket, a game that generates a billion inspirations across the country."
Populous comments on its website that the design of the stadium revolved around two large seating tiers, each with about 50,000 capacity, and a huge concourse with 360° views of the field. The seating bowl has been designed in a way that the lower levels fill first, maintaining the spectator atmosphere even when the seating bowl is not full.
A video illustrating the project can be seen here.
Top image: Work in progress (Mega World via YouTube)
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