CRYSTAL BAKU

The construction of the Baku Crystal Hall concert and sports complex, where Eurovision-2012 will soon be held, is an ambitious project implemented in a short time. This is how the head of the joint design and engineering company Alpine Bau Deutschland AG and NUSSLI, Rainer Quenzer, described it in an interview with Trend.

"NUSSLI received an order from Azerbaijan in the last days of May 2011. We were asked to build a brand new 25,000-seat hall in eight months. At that time, we had no other information about the project," he said. On 1 June 2011 in Baku, the contractors submitted the initial concept of a modular facility which they thought was the only possible option for such a rapid construction of the hall for Eurovision in May 2012.

"Our original proposal was based on an interim solution for the Eurovision Song Contest, after which the concert hall could be moved to another location. We planned to offer an arena that could be used elsewhere as a football stadium, while the interior and roof structures could later come in handy for gymnastics and wrestling facilities," Quenzer said.

This master plan was met with great enthusiasm, because there is a shortage of sports facilities in Azerbaijan. Before signing the final contract with the State Committee for Property Affairs of Azerbaijan, it was decided that the hall would remain in its place as a permanent place for music and sporting events in the capital.

According to him, given the short period of time, potential risks and the difficult task to build a facility of this size overseas, NUSSLI decided to involve a team of reliable partners.

"At the second meeting at the State Committee on 2 July 2011, we presented a project by a team consisting of Alpine Bau Deutschland AG - the general contractor, NUSSLI - a partner for overall design and planning, coordination and support for project management, as well as GMP International, which undertook to work on design and provide architectural support," Quenzer said.

All the parties involved were introduced to the State Committee, and it was stressed that they have the advantage of previous experience in such projects. "We arrived in Baku later, this time with two design concepts in our hands: Golden Curtain and Baku Crystal Hall. Our last meeting at the State Committee was held in late July and the final contract was signed on 2 August 2011, two months after the first one," the expert says.

The team developed a set of three main elements: NUSSLI Modular Stadium - the so-called cup that holds the seats, the inside of the roof the size of a football pitch and a complex coating with visual elements for the show presented by GMP.

These key elements were designed, assembled and installed at the same time with the help of various subcontractors. The whole complex the size of a football pitch was designed as a modular structure.

According to Quenzer, Azerbaijan had not previously appealed to NUSSLI and its partners, and the company had to take a huge risk - the biggest concern was that there was very little time. The NUSSLI team reported the progress of the work to the State Committee and the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) on a weekly basis during the entire process of construction.

"We kept in touch with all interested parties and were frank. Based on our construction schedule, we had shortcomings and delays in some areas, but we took measures to compensate for this. Such open communication strengthened the confidence of the EBU Reference Group," he said.

On 25 January 2012, the EBU held a final check, in which all joint venture partners made a progress report.

Despite the fact that some key elements, including the internal frame of the roof, the area for guests, the VIP area, the external facade of the membrane of LED lighting, and many other things were still under construction, the EBU, according to Quenzer, was amazed at the construction schedule and the project on its acceleration presented at this final meeting.

On that day, the EBU Reference Group took the final decision on the basis of the information received that the 57th European song contest would definitely be held in Baku at the new Crystal Hall.

According to Quenzer, such important events as Eurovision are a great bonus not only for the local organizers, but for many partners.

According to him, the effectiveness and value of modular structures cannot be presented better than by this project: it shows high speed and efficiency with which modular structures of any size can be designed and constructed.

"Complex projects such as the Crystal Hall help to strengthen our business and develop the ability to take effective and correct decisions in the future regardless of the time allotted for the project. We gained great new experience and came to know our partners and subcontractors better, which gives us even more advantages on this competitive market," the expert said.

Experience in the construction of modular stadiums gained in this project will greatly assist the team during the implementation of the next project.

"NUSSLI and all our partners would like to wish Azerbaijan and all the countries participating in the contest success in this great show on 26 May 2012 in Baku," Quenzer said.