Arena of Ambition. 2006

Construction of the stadium has begun

84000

The maximum number of spectators that the stadium can accommodate

370%

Increase in construction cost estimates over five years

The construction estimate for the new stadium on Krestovsky Island may be adjusted, Vyacheslav Semenenko, chairman of the construction committee, said on Friday. According to him, the stadium is already 70% ready, but to enhance the safety of the sliding glass roof, it was necessary to change the project; it has been submitted to the Main State Expertise, which should approve it within two to three weeks.

The stadium should not become more expensive, said Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak on Friday. According to him, the price increase should mean cancellation of the contract with the current general contractor and the organization of a new tender. Kozak proposed to simultaneously assemble an interdepartmental commission along with the state expert review, which would consider technical solutions for the roof and, if necessary, the possibility of optimizing costs. However, there is no time to change the contractor; a new tender would delay construction by 3-4 months, Kozak noted.

The study showed that with the existing design, snow can accumulate on the roof during heavy snowfalls, explained the need for adjustments Dmitry Bush, director of the company Mosproekt-4, which designed the stadium. After the project passes the examination, we can talk about its final cost, said Alexander Rudenko, CEO of the general contractor for the construction, Transstroy. According to him, the company is ready to participate in a new tender, if one is held. It will take another two years to complete the stadium, he said.

The stadium on Krestovsky has been built using money from the St. Petersburg budget since 2006. Initially, it cost 6.9 billion rubles, and the construction was started by the company "Avant". In 2008, the city government decided to add a transformable roof and a retractable football pitch to the structure in order to hold concerts at the stadium. This increased the price to 23.7 billion rubles. Transstroy won the second tender, promising to complete the stadium for 13.02 billion rubles by 2010. Last year, Russia won the tender to host the 2014 FIFA World Cup, and the stadium is expected to host the championship final.

Due to FIFA requirements, the stadium budget had to be increased again to about 33 billion rubles at the beginning of this year, Semenenko said. According to the federation's requirements, the number of spectator seats was increased by 8,000 - to 68,000, the slope of the stands was changed, additional premises for athletes' changing rooms, cafes and bars appeared. The total area increased from 170,000 square meters to 280,000 square meters, Semenenko explained. He is confident that the next adjustment will come down to the redistribution of funds within the existing budget.

When changing the design of the structures, the estimate is rarely maintained; in most cases, it grows, notes Alexander Ortenberg, head of the Strabag Directorate for Russia. In his opinion, large contractors will not be interested in the proposal to complete the stadium due to the tight deadlines and, possibly, a lack of funding. It will take several months just to figure out what the predecessor built, adds one of the St. Petersburg builders.

When the estimate is increased, the authorities most often limit themselves to renegotiating the terms with the existing contractor in order not to miss deadlines, says Denis Kachkin, managing partner of the law firm Kachkin and Partners.

Penalty to the contractor