Azerbaijan, Baku, April 30 / Trend E. Mehdiyev/
The construction of Baku Crystal Hall is a grandiose project finished under a tight schedule, Planning head and design coordinator of the joint venture of Alpine Bau Deutschland AG and NUSSLI Rainer Quenzer told Trend in an interview.
Quenzer further spoke about the details of how Baku Crystal Hall got built.
"NUSSLI received a phone call from Azerbaijan in the last days of May 2011. We were asked to construct a completely new venue for 25,000 spots within eight months," Quenzer told Trend. "Later we presented our initial concept of a modular facility, which we felt would be the only feasible option to meet the very short deadline for the Eurovision Song Contest in May 2012."
Quenzer notes that their initial proposal was based on a temporary solution for the Song Contest, which would mean that the concert hall could be moved elsewhere after the event.
We planned to offer an arena solution, which could be reused in another location as a football stadium, while the internal roofing structure would later form two smaller indoor sport venues for gymnastics and wrestling. Our master plan was received with much enthusiasm by the State Committee, as there is a definite shortage of sporting venues in Azerbaijan, he says.
Quenzer agrees that Baku Crystal Hall is in fact a temporary structure, as before the final order could be signed off with the State Committee, it was decided to keep the hall in its place as a permanent structure for music and sports events in the capital.
Speaking of the work NUSSLI had to undertake, Quenzer said that there were partners involved in the construction as well.
"At the end of the meeting, we were asked if NUSSLI would plan and construct the hall alone, or whether a number of providers would come together for the project. Considering the tight deadlines, the potential risks, and the challenge of constructing a venue of this size in a foreign country, NUSSLI decided to bring in a team of reliable partners," he said.
At the second meeting with the State Committee on July 2, 2011, we introduced the project team consisting of Alpine Bau Deutschland AG in the role of general contractor, NUSSLI as their collaboration partner for general design and planning coordination and for project management support, and gmp international, who took on the design and architectural lead, he said.
Quenzer noted that the companies involved in construction we were able to impress the State Committee with the sound expertise of all parties involved and stressed the benefits of previous experience in similar projects.
"We traveled to Baku once again, but this time with two design concepts in hand: the "Golden Curtain" and the "Baku Crystal Hall". Our final meeting with the State Committee took place at the end of July, and the final contract was signed on August 2, 2011, two months after first contact," he recalls.
Speaking of the design of the venue, Quenzer said it was designed in three main elements: the NUSSLI Modular Stadium® for the seating bowl, an inner roof structure of the size of a football pitch, and a sophisticated outer shell as covering and visualization element for the event by gmp.
"These key elements were planned, prefabricated and installed simultaneously with the help of various sub-contractors," he said. "So, as you can see the entire complex - which is the size of a football arena - was designed as a modular structure".
Quenzer says that The Alpine/NUSSLI team reported to the State Committee and EBU on a weekly basis throughout the construction phase.
"We were very open regarding our progress, and maintained excellent communication with all stakeholders throughout. Based on our construction schedule, we showed gaps and delays in some areas, but introduced measures to make up for these as we went. This open communication strengthened the trust of the EBU Reference Group," he said.
On January 25, 2012 the final EBU site inspection took place, at which all joint venture partners had to report on progress.
"Although some major elements, including the inner roof, the hospitality and VIP areas, the outer membrane facade with LED lighting and more were still under construction at that time, the EBU was very impressed with our construction schedule and the accelerating measures presented at this final meeting. The EBU Reference Group made their final decision on the strength of the information received that day: the 57th European Song Contest would definitely be held at the new Baku Crystal Hall," Quenzer said.
He added that Major events like the Eurovision Song Contest are a great bonus - not only for the local organizers - but also for the many partners involved.
"The efficiency and worth of modular construction could not be highlighted better: it showcases the great speed and efficiency with which modular structures of any size can be planned and implemented. Challenging projects like the Baku Crystal Hall help strengthen our business, and help us developing our intelligent, efficient and sustainable solutions even further - no matter how tight the timeframe given," he explained.
"We gained a lot of new expertise and got to know our partners and sub-contractors better, which gives us ever more of an edge in this very competitive market," he said. "The additional expertise in the implementation of modular stadiums gained in this project, for example, has resulted in additional improvements, which we will take forward to the next project".
Quenzer did not forget to wish Azerbaijan and all participating countries much success at the spectacular show on May 26, 2012 in Baku, on behalf of NUSSLI and their partners.
The equipment to be used during the show has already been brought to Baku. During the event, 80,000 light diodes and more than 2,500 light projectors will be used.
In May, the audience will be presented a grandioze show, different by the stage design, different directing style and "Green Room".
Semifinal rounds of the competition will be held on May 22 and May 24, while the finals are scheduled for May 26.
This year event's logo is the "Fire Flower" and the slogan is "Light your Fire".
