RECALLING THE NORMAN FOSTER CAMP NOU REVAMP

It’s coming up to two years since Barcelona president Sandro Rosell pulled the plug on the €250 million Nou Camp stadium redesign by British architect Norman Foster as part of a plan to reduce spending.

In 2007, Foster & Partners won the contract to redesign the 98,000-seat arena with a multi-coloured exterior influenced by Catalan architect Antoni Gaudi.  Having been granted the contract under the regime of Joan Laporta, Rosell was understandably reluctant to push ahead with such an ambitious redesign, especially with Catalonian austerity biting hard. 

Although never officially cancelled, and still highlighted as an ongoing project by Foster & Partners, it’s unlikely that the revamp will ever go ahead.

The Camp Nou remains a magnificent and iconic arena, but we can’t help but be a little disappointed that such a stunning project was canned.  Maybe one day…