Beşiktaş İnönü Stadium [Turkey] by Gkan

 

Beşiktaş İnönü Stadium (Turkish: Beşiktaş İnönü Stadyumu) is the home of the football club Beşiktaş J.K. in Istanbul, Turkey. It is located in Dolmabahçe, close to the elegant Dolmabahçe Palace in the district of Beşiktaş, on the European side of Istanbul. The stadium has a capacity of 32,145[2] (all-seater). It is the first modern stadium in Istanbul. The perennial rivals of Beşiktaş J.K.; Galatasaray S.K. andFenerbahçe S.K., had also played at İnönü for many years, since İnönü was the only modern stadium in Istanbul until the 1960s. Between 1921 and 1939, the three clubs had previously played at the Taksim Stadium^[1] on Taksim Square, which was located inside the courtyard of the Ottoman era Taksim Artillery Barracks (Taksim Topçu Kışlası) built by Sultan Abdülmecid I in the 1840s; the surrounding walls of which were transformed into tribunes. Taksim Stadium was demolished in 1939 and was replaced with the present-day Taksim Park (Taksim Gezi Parkı) in the 1940s and 1950s.

The club president Yıldırım Demirören has announced that a new stadium with a fully closed roof and a capacity of 42,000 spectators will be constructed. There will also be 200 luxury lodges which will entertain 6,000 spectators. The construction works are set to begin by June 2008, following the end of the promotion play-offs of the Bank Asya First League. Construction works are scheduled to be completed in 18 months, and the estimated cost of the project is $120 million.

Beşiktaş JK will play its matches at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul during the construction phase of the new stadium. The new stadium will have a modern design and the site will include new features for entertainment, a theater, a congress center, a 5-star hotel, a parking facility which will be able to accommodate 2,700 vehicles and a large shopping center.

The project of the new stadium was designed by the architects of HOK Sport. Previously, the HOK Sport designed more than 400 stadiums, including the new Wembley Stadium and the Emirates Stadium of Arsenal F.C. in London. The old stadium will be demolished, except for the Eski Açık tribune, since this tribune and its towers are historical monuments. The Eski Açık tribune will be re-arranged like an antique amphitheater and will be covered with glass in order to protect the structure. The new stadium will be in harmony with the natural and historic landscape of the Bosporus when seen from the sea. The roof of the stadium will also be in glass, which can be closed and opened automatically. The sky will always be visible thanks to the glass dome. It will also be possible to reflect computerized images on the glass roof through LEDs.^[5]