The City Council and Bàsquet Manresa present the proposal to expand, modernize and adapt the Nou Congost Pavilion to the regulations

The Manresa City Council and Bàsquet Manresa presented this morning the proposal to expand, modernize, and adapt the Nou Congost Pavilion to current regulations. The proposal, drawn up by the architecture firm Barceló Balanzó, envisions a 45% increase in surface area, from 8,000 m² to 11,500 m², with an additional 1,500 spectators. These extra seats will be created by adding a second tier of seating at both ends (behind the baskets), which currently only have lower seating. The new pavilion will feature a new facade that will unify the new section with the existing one, giving the facility a fresh new look.

The details were presented today by the Mayor of Manresa, Marc Aloy Guardia, and the President of Bàsquet Manresa, Josep Maria Herms i Canellas, at a press conference also attended by the Councilor for Sports and Health, Anjo Valentí Moll. All three emphasized that the project incorporates all the requirements established by the club and the City Council, and announced that work is already underway on the detailed design, which is expected to be completed next spring.

Regarding the ground floor, new, larger changing rooms will be built, and the referees' changing rooms, the first-team coach's office, the medical, nursing, and doping control offices, and the table officials' room will also be renovated.

The ground floor will be much more open and have a direct connection to the exterior, allowing some services to operate independently. The shop and cafeteria will be located on the right side. The press room and space for a new gym are planned for the left side, with storage areas at the back.

As for the first floor, all the current office space will be removed to create a perimeter circulation ring. This ring incorporates two additional service areas (beneath the new stands at the ends), relocates the bar areas at the rear (west wing), and adds new bars on the main facade (east wing). Finally, the third floor will house the new access to the fish market and office and press spaces.

To comply with evacuation and accessibility regulations, two vertical communication cores will be built on either side of the main facade, with emergency stairs and elevators.

Incorporated Requests

The project presented this morning incorporates all the requests from the club and the City Council. Specifically, the proposal includes increasing capacity by another 1,500 spectators; relocating the main changing rooms and remodeling the secondary ones; creating a water and physiotherapy area in the home changing room; improving the restrooms and the bar on the first floor; completely updating the air conditioning equipment; and replacing the lighting with an LED system. The renovation includes resurfacing the court; adding new retractable seating; installing a system to darken the skylights; installing a central video scoreboard; and incorporating audiovisual engineering into the project and its execution.

With this significant undertaking, the Nou Congost pavilion will become a leading facility in central Catalonia and throughout the country. In addition to providing the best possible solution for the Bàsquet Manresa first team in its national and international competitions and hosting other sporting activities, it will also be able to serve as a venue for large-scale cultural and social events.

With these additions to the project, the estimated cost of the pavilion's renovation and expansion is between 18 and 20 million euros. Mayor Aloy has stated that the City Council is in contact with all relevant institutions to secure funding for the renovation.