Soeters Van Eldonk will oversee a “large-scale renovation project” of the Amsterdam ArenA, which will innovate with energy by using repurposed car batteries as a back-up system.

The home to Ajax – the most famous and successful Dutch football team – will undergo its most ambitious revamp since it opened in 1996 as part of its Project ArenA 2020 strategy.

Project ArenA 2020 will occur in three stages.

The first stage will see the redevelopment of the east side of the stadium, while phase two and phase three will concentrate on the south side and north side respectively.

Renovation work will result in more concourse space, additional lifts, toilets, catering points and escalators.

The shape of the arena will also change, from a concave to convex appearance.

However, the stadium’s 53,000 spectator capacity will remain the same.

Sustainability is also a key feature of the renovation. In November 2016, Amsterdam ArenA signed a 10-year deal with car manufacturer Nissan to provide back-up batteries from second-life Nissan LEAF batteries.

Previously used for vehicles, the batteries will be repurposed to “draw energy from the grid, providing more control, better value and a more sustainable choice for their energy consumption”.

As well as providing back-up energy, the batteries will be able to power the surrounding neighbourhood if necessary to protect the grid.

“In the past 20 years, the ArenA continued to invest in quality, innovation and sustainability. The coming major renovation fits within that vision,” said Amsterdam ArenA chief executive Henk Markerink.

“In this way, the ArenA remains up to date and continues to play in the major league of football stadiums.”

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