For the project of reconstruction of the Metalist stadium the creative team in 2010 won the State Prize for Architecture.

One of the major projects designed by architects and engineers of the Institute - a project of reconstruction of the Metalist stadium for the UEFA Championship finals games in Europe for 2012. Stadium designed for up to 40 thousand seats got a new complex, a unique roof over the stands, weighing 3.5 tons, cutting-edge engineering and IT systems. In addition, the preserved authentic objects - architectural monuments. The Urban Development department has developed a general layout of the area around the stadium, the lay-out of town and country planning, transport schemes, the scheme of evacuation routes and other required documentation.

The formal opening of the renovated Metalist sports complex was held on 5 December 2009. This date coincided with the 50th anniversary of the initiator of the reconstruction - Aleksander Yaroslavskiy (the owner and president of DCH group). Even before his involvement in the preparation for EURO 2012, this businessman was known for his patronage and charity projects. He is the owner of the football club Metalist that in recent 5 years won bronze medals in the national championship. Aleksander Yaroslavskiy is the investor and general coordinator of Kharkiv’s preparation for Euro 2012. He actually took the responsibility for the preparation of the sporting infrastructure of the city and its «air gates» - Kharkiv International Airport for the tournament. The amount of Aleksander Yaroslavskiy’s social investment in the Kharkiv’s preparation reached $ 298,9 million. Since the opening ceremony Metalist stadium became one of the symbols of Kharkiv, perhaps because of its unusual appearance. This refers to the roof, which is unique in the whole world. Know-how of this design consists in that the construction does not rely on the body platform. 24 towers surrounding the stadium bowl support it. From the distance Metalist stadium looks like a giant crab. The roof covers 100% of seats and weighs over 3.5 tones. The total capacity of the stadium is 38,633 seats, including seats for the press, commentators, VIP-guests (including restaurants and skyboxes), places for people with disabilities and persons accompanying them. Full Height Turnstiles, anti-vandal seats, the latest multimedia displays and advertising production line of the prestigious brand Barco were installed on the Metalist stadium. Lighting and sound systems were replaced and the infrastructure of catering and leisure was renewed. Security system was improved; UEFA offices and control-rooms were equipped. The president of FC Metalist also took the responsibility for the improvement of the surrounding areas and even mended the adjacent to the arena urban streets. In addition, in 2011 on the initiative of Aleksander Yaroslavskyi there was also a reconstruction of the game-cover, which cost EUR 3 million. It allowed the game-cover of Metalist stadium become one of the best in Europe. At the present time the Metalist stadium is the ultra-modern sports complex, which meets the requirements of UEFA for the European Championship matches.

The group of authors for the drafting of reconstruction project for the stadium has received such governmental awards:
lead author of the project Chub A.M. - the title of Honored Architect of Ukraine;
members of the group of authors Donchenko V.K., Ivanov O.R, Skirta J.N., Abuyeva A.A., Kublitskaya Y.Y., Kreizer I.I. were awarded with the State Prize of Ukraine in architecture;
Head of design for roof Tereshchenko Y.I. received the title of Honored Builder of Ukraine.

Some Figures:

Gross capacity -38633
Net capacity -35721
Area -8.5 hectares
Pitch -05x68 (natural grass)
Floodlight -2400 lux
Roof -polycarbonate roof that covers 100% of seats
VIP box -506 (116 in skyboxes)
Press-box -300 with desks, 200 without desks
Media observer box -160
TV & Radio commentary positions -240
Seats for spectators with disabilities -102
Turnstiles -88 (74 - full-height, 12 - standard (4 for VIP), 2 - for persons with disabilities) Skidata turnstiles
Tracks -Mondo tracks
Giant screens -2 giant screens BARCO
Advertising boards -multimedia boards BARCO