Arena do Grêmio is a multi-use stadium in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. It was inaugurated on December 8, 2012. It is used mostly for football matches and as the home stadium of Grêmio, replacing the Estádio Olímpico Monumental. With 55,662 capacity, the stadium is one of the most modern venues in South America. A mile from the international airport of Porto Alegre and alongside the road way, the stadium site appeared perfect to create a multifunctional urban center. The complex include a Conference and Congress Center, hotel, a mall, housing, condominiums and parking. The arena itself intends to be functional year round.
A concept that starts from green field to the milestone of creating economical revenue to the club, the stadium development and building costs are paid through this concept goals plus future real estate business. The architectural firm PLARQ is responsible for the stadium projects design and concept and OAS is the general contractor. In the mid-2000s, an idea came within the Grêmio, to build a new stadium to host matches of the Tricolor. The idea was carried out in 2006 with the beginning of the work viability studies. The objective was to make a self-sustaining stadium, unlike the Estádio Olímpico Monumental, that was already falling apart. In May 2006, the Grêmio's master patrimonial plan was formulated, which, precisely, headed the project. From there began a discussion about the construction place, in the current location of Olímpico or in a new place. In November 2006, aiming to dispel this doubt, was made a pre-feasibility study for the construction of a new stadium, with the Dutch company Amsterdam Advisory Arena. The conclusion was that the Estádio Olímpico would not meet the expectations of the club, due to high maintenance cost, age of construction, low standard of comfort, security and services, insufficient parking and location in very populated region. This combination of factors led the club to opt for building an Arena, with the financial assistance of partners, with the standard required by FIFA.