Mineirão project for the World Cup has new architects

Earlier this month, the news that the office of the architect Gustavo Penna would not continue taking care of the reform of Mineirão was received with surprise by many. Responsible for drafting the basic design of the reform of the stadium, Penna’s office has been disregarded by the consortium that won the bid to perform the executive project of the giant of Pampulha.

Report published by the Web site "Lancenet" said that the reason would have been quarrels between the office and the consortium, which was denied by both sides.

"The companies that won the bid never tried to talk to us. We always knew that another office could be contracted, and this is a right of the consortium”, said the architect Gustavo Penna.

The Consortium Minas Arena informed, via press office, that opted for the office of the architect Bruno Campos to command the schedule of works and the completion of executive project statement.

According to the consortium, it is a qualified office, reputed for his work for the 2007 Pan American Games and Rio's candidature to host 2016 Olympic Games, in addition to the initial studies of the conceptual design of Mineirão itself.

"We participated in this conceptual phase, at the request of Gustavo (Penna) in 2008, and we were unrelated to any question of Mineirão since then”, says Campos.

Changes
The question that remains is what changes in the original design of Mineirão. And what all rush to answer is: nothing. "The concept is the same, the fundamentals are the same, now we go into details”, says Campos. "A very complex project like this involves many disciplines, and our job is to ensure that all of them are enter into an agreement without interfering with each other," he explains.

When he speaks in disciplines, Campos refers to all works that will be performed in the stadium. This involves architectural design, structural calculation, concrete structure, metallic structure, acoustic, air conditioning, lawn, fire fighting and prevention, hydraulic plan, among others.

"There are dozens of them, this is a multidisciplinary engineering and architecture work. We must ensure that everything is integrated perfectly while the work is been performed".

Monitoring
Despite the departure of his office, Gustavo Penna expressed confidence about the future of the stadium. "It was two years and four months in this work, for what we believe a happy ending. The project was done, approved, the state opened a bid that has occurred in accordance with the law, and there is a consortium approved and ready to begin the work. We provide a high-level project, preserving values and meeting the requirements made. What we need to do now is to ensure the integrity of the project, with our sense of duty fulfilled”.

When asked if he would continue monitoring the work, and if he would work for maintaining the original project, Penna said he considered it is a natural work of all. "Anyone can accompany the reform of Mineirão. It is a project of a public asset, which matters to Minas Gerais, and likewise all our actions have always been disclosed by the press, the same will happen now”, he believes.

The government of Minas Gerais refused to comment on the change of offices.