Discovery Channel - Building the World Cup (2014)

Building the World Cup goes behind-the-scenes of one of Brazil’s biggest engineering projects: the upgrading and creation of three state-of-the-art football stadiums capable of hosting international football matches at the highest level. This three part series follows the complex refurbishment of Rio de Janeiro’s iconic Maracano Stadium, the site of the country’s last World Cup defeat on home turf. The high-tech Corinthians Arena in Sao-Paulo, a project so cutting edge much of its advanced technology has not even been tested at the international level. There is also a visit to the vastly expensive project that is the Amazonia Arena in the heart of the Brazilian rainforest. All three stadiums differ from an architectural and engineering perspective but all three share the same issues - tight schedules, sky-rocketing budgets, unpredictable weather conditions and massive country-wide protests. With the 2014 World Cup fast approaching and the eyes of the world on Brazil, can the country deliver on time and on budget?

Part 1: Maracana
Brazil's beloved stadium called the Maracana is slated to host the 2014 World Cup final, located in the second largest city in Brazil, Rio de Janeiro. The last time Brazil held a world cup match at the Maracana, the country lost to Uruguay, which is still considered to be a national tragedy. So this time around the pressure is on for Brazil to not only deliver a win, but win in a world-class stadium that marries the Maracana's footballing legacy with state-of-the-art 21st technology and architecture.

Part 2: Amazonia
Surrounded by the lush green of the Amazon rainforest, an isolated city called Manaus will be one of 12 cities in Brazil to host the World Cup. There's just one problem about Manaus: It doesn't have a stadium fit for the World Cup. So with a budget of $290 million, this brand new stadium called Arena de Amazonia is being built for the 2014 World Cup and also to protect the diversity of the Amazon rainforest the designers found their inspiration from traditional indigenous straw baskets, a product that the region is famous for. The colors of the metal structure enclosing stadium will be structured in varied tones of yellow, orange, and red, which makes a reference to Brazilian tradition and nature. The roof's structure of the stadium is designed to serve as a large gutter that will drain the tropical rain water, which could be used in the facility washrooms and to water the pitch. The roof is coated to reflect heat radiation, thus creating a cooling effect which will help to keep energy costs down and control the temperature within the stadium.

Part 3: Corinthians
Sao Paulo, the biggest city in the southern hemisphere, is the birthplace of Brazilian football and has been chosen to host the opening ceremony and first game of the World Cup in June 2014. Since upgrading the city's existing stadium to meet FIFA standards would be too costly, the city has partnered with super club Corinthiains to build a brand new 65,000-seater super stadium instead. Arena Corinthians is a rectangular stadium comprised of two buildings, the main on the west side and another on the east side. The west side will have VIP seats, TV crew equipment, press and most box seats. A single entrance with reflecting pools on each side will give access to the building, which will also perform as a spectacle during programmed moments in the stadium. The east side will house the largest single video screen in the world, comprising of 210,000 individual LEDs. The stadium's design is heavily accented by glass in the facades, VIP lounges, and balustrades. The glass has been designed with a curvature intended to mimick the visual effect of a ball hitting the net.