“The greater the challenge, the greater the return”

In this interview with STADIAWORLD, Bernardo Farkasvölgyi, director of Farkasvölgyi & Associated Architects, reviews his latest project, the Arena MRV in Belo Horizonte. It is the first stadium project for his architecture firm.

STADIAWORLD: The Arena MRV is the first soccer stadium you have designed. Can you briefly describe what other projects you are involved with?
Farkasvölgyi: We are an architectural firm with more than 50 years of experience, which has enabled us to develop projects of various types in a wide range of areas. Our portfolio includes commercial developments, residential towers, hotels, hospitals, shopping centres, institutional buildings, car dealerships, houses, retrofitting, urban, city and neighbourhood planning, as well as multi-use developments.

STADIAWORLD: What made you deviate from your “normal” project type and devote yourself to designing a sports facility?
Farkasvölgyi: It was a natural move. We were driven by the challenge, coupled with our real ability to contribute to building a more modern city, attentive to the development of society and its needs.

STADIAWORLD: What are the special challenges of designing a stadium in general – also compared to your other projects?
Farkasvölgyi: Every new architectural project is a challenge in itself. In the case of the MRV Arena, it’s a multi-purpose arena with a football stadium. Here, the challenge became much greater, not least because it’s a very specific project that involves a lot of passion, given that I’m very much an Atlético fan, a fanatical supporter of the club, coupled with the challenges of any kind of work.

In this case, there are also the challenges of the terrain. It was extremely demanding, but the greater the challenge, the greater the return.

STADIAWORLD: Which existing stadiums inspired you in your design?
Farkasvölgyi: The 2014 World Cup in Brazil allowed for the emergence of new arenas. We studied all these stadiums to bring together the best technical solutions in our project. In addition to these stadiums, we also visited some examples in Europe and the USA. The Arena MRV combines a little bit of each stadium in its design.

STADIAWORLD: The site on which the Arena MRV was built has an extreme slope. How did you deal with this circumstance?
Farkasvölgyi: Implementing a project of this scale on such a mountainous terrain is a major challenge. Using our three-dimensional model, we studied the best scenario to be adopted, seeking the least amount of ground displacement possible, improving the sustainability of the development.

This topography also allowed us to implement the project with several connections to the streets at different levels, i.e. several floors have a direct connection to the street, which facilitates the logistics of access to the stadium for fans and supplies.

STADIAWORLD: You describe the Arena MRV as the “most modern stadium in Brazil”. What makes the stadium so special compared to existing sports facilities?
Farkasvölgyi: The Arena MRV seeks to unite the best practices that have worked in countless other arenas, so our solutions consolidate the best practices applied in buildings of this size and use, with the aim of delivering the best experience for fans and users.

The project also includes various technological developments, such as water reuse, intelligent water and energy consumption, high-density wi-fi, state-of-the-art LED lighting, RGB lighting, two LED screens with an area of over 120 square meters each, JBL sound system, building automation system and others. It’s worth highlighting the aspect of inclusion. We want our Arena to be the most inclusive in the world. In fact, we offer all people with special needs the highest conditions in the Arena MRV. In all sectors, at all levels, people with disabilities will always have the most special conditions.

Other important points concern technology and innovation: it will be an arena that will have wi-fi, and it actually works. There will be an exchange of experiences between fans and Clube Atlético Mineiro, based on technology.

The lighting is scenic and can be prepared for all types of shows: for rock and roll concerts, it can flash; for classical music, the lights can make slow movements. In other words, the lighting is designed to accompany the events.

STADIAWORLD: With the use of a hybrid building solution, you were one of the first stadium constructions in the country to utilze this technique and called it a “benchmark for future constructions”. What makes this so special and why did you choose this approach?
Farkasvölgyi: Together with the structural engineering teams and the construction company, we carried out studies that showed that a mixed solution would be the most efficient, with lower costs and greater stability. Therefore, in areas with higher compressive loads, concrete was used, while in areas with higher tensile loads, metal was used, so we were able to extract the greatest efficiency from each material and consequently better results for the building.

STADIAWORLD: One of the specifications was that the club’s identity should be reflected in the design of the arena. How did you manage to achieve this?
Farkasvölgyi: The aesthetics of the Arena are reminiscent of the banners that fans have traditionally worn in the stands since the 1970s, which are also present on the club’s uniform. Therefore, our façade is a reinterpretation that seeks a direct relationship with the club’s banners and colours, creating a greater relationship with the fans.

STADIAWORLD: As a prevailing theme of our time and in sports facility construction, sustainability also played a crucial role in the construction of the Arena MRV. What specific measures were included in your design?
Farkasvölgyi: We have implemented a number of technical solutions that aim to make the development more sustainable:

• The Arena was built with the aim of minimising ground moving, preserving a native forest of more than 40,000 square meters within the site.
• Preservation of two water springs within the grounds, channeling their flow until they meet their natural bed.
• We planted a tree for every seat installed in our grandstand.
• Water reuse system for irrigating the pitch.
• Automated systems to manage energy and water consumption.
• Modern lighting and cooling systems for lower energy consumption.
• Clear façades to promote greater thermal comfort.
• More than 40 per cent of the site is green, allowing for water permeability and greater thermal comfort.

STADIAWORLD: At the special request of the fans, you also installed a standing-room area in the stadium. To what extent did this change your plans? How important do you consider such a standing-room area in the stadium – the use of which has only recently been permitted in Brazil?
Farkasvölgyi: In the 1950s areas dedicated to standing fans emerged, known as the “GERAL” (EN: general) area, with tickets priced at an economical price, giving all audiences access to the game. Over the years, however, this area became extinct. Arena MRV is proposing to revive the “GERAL”, recreating the area for standing fans, democratising public access to the stadium and providing cheaper tickets. Adopting a seating-free section involves other technical issues, such as re-evaluating visibility, guaranteeing security, inhibiting vandalism, preserving emergency routes, resizing toilets and bars, re-evaluating structural efforts and other issues.

STADIAWORLD: What other uses do you envisage for the Arena MRV?
Farkasvölgyi: It is a multi-purpose arena, so its versatility and ability to host a variety of events was a fundamental feature of the project. The Arena already has uses such as: concerts, football matches, religious services, various sporting events, weddings, graduation ceremonies, a language school, a technological development centre, a basic health unit, a gym, a digital games arena, coworking spaces, a museum, an exhibition centre, a space for open fairs, circuses and others.

STADIAWORLD: How would you summarise your project? What five words come to mind?
Farkasvölgyi: The key word at Arena MRV is (fan) experience. I reiterate that the intention is to generate the best experience for users and fans. Not just for football matches, but for concerts and events, we have always thought about the best experience for the public, for the people who are going to use the Arena. If you want to translate the project into five words, I would emphasise: experience, connections, inclusion, sustainability and technology. (STADIAWORLD, 23.08.2023)