Stadium Development
The Wankhede Stadium was built in 1974 and the first Test match played was between India and West Indies from 23 to 28 January 1975. The Stadium was built at a time when only Test Matches were played and with the advent of One Day Cricket and Twenty 20 Cricket, the demands of a Stadium from spectator point of view have totally changed.
Since ICC World Cup Cricket 2011 was to be hosted by India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, and Mumbai was selected to host the final, it was decided to redevelop the Wankhede Stadium to suit the modern facilities and comfort of spectators.
The Managing Committee invited presentations from reputed Architects and shortlisted M/s. Shashi Prabhu & Associates and M/s. P.K. Das & Associates to jointly draw up a project for the redevelopment of the Wankhede Stadium. While redeveloping the Stadium, major changes were at the North end and the South end with better facilities to the spectators in terms of bucket seating, large number of toilets and food courts.
While MCA undertook the redevelopment of Wankhede Stadium, the ground was not available for domestic and international cricket till February 2011. In order to ensure that MCA did not miss out the turn of Test and ODI matches and also to develop a healthy working relationship with the Cricket Club of India.
One of the highlights of the stadium is the suspended cantilever roofs. The Teflon fabric roof is lighter in weight and heat resistant. There is no beam support for the roof to ensure that the spectators will have a better view. On the roof there are exhaust fans which suck the hot air from the stands and allow the breeze from the West to flow in. The stadium has 20 elevators for North and South stands.
Read more about this topic: Wankhede Stadium
Famous quotes containing the words stadium and/or development:
“In their eyes I have seen
the pin men of madness in marathon trim
race round the track of the stadium pupil.”
—Patricia K. Page (b. 1916)
“Creativity seems to emerge from multiple experiences, coupled with a well-supported development of personal resources, including a sense of freedom to venture beyond the known.”
—Loris Malaguzzi (20th century)