the then vice-governor darcy ribero campaigned for the location of the new venue to be at marques de sapucaí, close to praça onze - which is considered to be the birthplace of samba. 

in line with ribero's social and educational work, niemeyer incorporated 115 classrooms underneath sectors 4, 5, 6, 7 and 9, into his design for the new samba stadium.

in just 110 days, the sambódromo was built, and on march 2, 1984 the new structure opened its doors.

at the end of the runway, the seating is farther away from the runway, creating a square called praça da apoteose (apotheosis square) - an area where the samba schools gather and celebrate as their parades come to an end.