DIALOG and HOK have just revealed the redesign of Scotia Place, Calgary’s new event center in Canada. Set to become a hub of community and culture, Scotia Place is inspired by Indigenous ancestral lands and cultural significance, integrated these perspectives with the natural beauty of Calgary. Commissioned by the City of Calgary and the Calgary Sports and Entertainment Corporations, Scotia Place seeks to bring people together and activate the public realm.
To take advantage of the historic heritage of the city of Paris while also minimizing the impact of the Olympics, the Paris 2024 Games are organizing a set of temporary arenas and installations to host several key competitions, only to be disassembled after the games' closing. Only one sports venue has been built specifically for the 2024 Olympic Games, the Aquatics Centre Paris, as the city aims to use its existing sporting infrastructure to the maximum, ensuring a smaller footprint compared to previous editions. In addition to the established venues, key temporary sites include the Trocadéro, Eiffel Tower, Champ-de-Mars, Esplanade des Invalides, Pont Alexandre III, Place de la Concorde, and Place de l’Hôtel de Ville, with additional stands along the Seine for the Opening Ceremony.
The assembly and disassembly of these temporary sites will follow a step-by-step approach to minimize disruption. Geographical phasing will preserve traffic lanes and access to public spaces, while time phasing will gradually activate and deactivate competition perimeters to limit construction impact and quickly restore spaces post-Games. These measures align with Paris 2024's commitment to organizing responsible and respectful Games and preserving the city's urban and natural heritage.
As France prepares for the XXXIII Olympic Games, Paris plans to showcase its rich cultural legacy. The 2024 Olympics, which will begin on July 25, 2024, are set to be a momentous occasion for the city as it anticipates competitors and spectators worldwide. Embracing a “pioneering approach,” Paris 2024 aims to reimagine the Olympic experience by departing from the traditional stadium venues and “integrating sports into the fabric of the city.” From the iconic Grand Palais to the Eiffel Tower, the Gardens of Versailles, and the famous La Concorde, world-famous landmarks are set to host the 2024 games.
Marina Bay Sands has unveiled plans for a significant expansion project to be designed by Safdie Architects, led by Moshe Safdie, the architect of the existing structure. Featuring a luxury hotel and a 15,000-seat entertainment arena, the new intervention signals a new development phase in the evolution of the iconic landmark in Singapore. Anticipated to commence construction by July 2025, the project is slated for completion by July 2029, promising an array of new amenities and facilities for visitors to enjoy.
Commissioned by Diriyah Company, HKS Architects have revealed the design for a new multisport arena in Diriyah. Envisioned as a catalyst for the local culture and the entertainment sector, the 20,000-seat venue will be located in the center of The City of Earth, a 76,000-square-meter development aligned with Saudi Vision 2030, aimed at becoming one of the most attractive venues for tourism in the Middle East.
Populous has unveiled the design of the Qiddiya City Esports Arena, a new facility aimed to become the focal point for Qiddiya City, a planned entertainment and tourism megaproject in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Featuring the largest total area of video screens of any esports arena, along with immersive 4D technologies, the new arena strives to become the central attraction in the ‘world’s first mixed-use gaming and esports district.’
The Sphere at the Venetian Resort, previously known as the MSG Sphere, opened to the public with a series of concerts headlined by Irish rock band U2 on September 29, 2023, in Las Vegas. Designed by stadium specialist architecture office Populous, the project was first announced in 2018. Measuring 34 meters in height and 157 meters in width, the venue, whose building costs rose to $2.3 billion, is labeled the world's largest spherical structure, with its exterior clad in a high-resolution LED screen. The project, located east of the Las Vegas Strip and connected to the Venetian resort complex, is designed to host various events, including music, film events, and even some sports. To reveal the complete experience of this venue, new interior images showcase the intricate details and immersive atmosphere within.
Sporting facilities can play a vital role in the lives of cities by providing multifunctional public spaces where the people can join in large-scale events providing entertainment and spectacle while also promoting well-being and enhancing community engagement. Additionally, well-designed sporting arenas can become icons for a city, creating a sense of pride and identity and attracting visitors and residents. One such example is the Grand Slam tennis tournaments, which take over cities like Paris, London or New York, attracting fans from all around the world. The Philippe Chatrier and greenhouse transformed into the Simonne-Mathieu Tennis Court in Paris have become architectural landmarks, serving as catalysts for urban development and cultural exchange.
Other small-scale venues also play a role in the lives of communities, acting as gathering places for people with shared interests, fostering a sense of belonging and contributing to the overall health of the neighborhoods. This week's curated selection of Best Unbuilt Architecture highlights projects submitted by the ArchDaily community that showcase both large and small scale sporting venues. From a ‘box in a box’ basketball pavilion in Greece, to a translucent multi-sports arena in El Salvador or a dune-line arena in Morocco, this selection features projects that encourage and celebrate movement, athleticism and fair play competition.
Stefano Boeri Architetti, together with a multidisciplinary team including ARUP, Fabio Novembre, and Balich Wonder Studio, has unveiled the design for the new Milan Stadium, named the International Forest Stadium. The project, located in the San Siro area of the city, was presented to the public on the occasion of the competition announced in 2019 by the Inter and Milan teams. The stadium is envisioned as an integral part of the “Sport and leisure district” system, an extensive masterplan measuring over 800 hectares, planned to transform the San Siro district into a center for excellence in the context of European sports.
Architecture firm Populous has been chosen as the architect for a new multi-use, climate-neutral event arena in Munich, Germany. The structure aims to create a unique experience; a "compact, efficient, and visually stunning" venue that will be instantly recognizable and reflective of the character and culture of the Bavarian metropolitan area, serving as a new landmark. The 20,000 capacity venue draws upon Bavarian heritage through a support structure that pays homage to the lozenge shape used in the Bavarian state flag.
David Chipperfield Architects Berlin and Arup have unveiled the design of the 2026 Winter Olympic Games arena. The structure will sit in the core of Milano Santa Giulia, a new urban district currently under redevelopment in the south-east of Milan. The new arena will house sports and cultural events with up to 16,000 visitors, and offer individuals of all demographics a vast outdoor area that promotes social gatherings and recreational activities.
Vienna-based architecture firm Coop Himmelb(l)au has won an international competition to redesign the CKA Ice Hockey Arena and Park in St. Petersburg, Russia. The design of the complex is inspired by Russian Constructivist architecture, an era that redefined architecture with the works of Tatlin and El Lissitzky, and removed the limitations of construction and movement. The structure and general layout of the arena is based on Tatlin's “Monument to the Third International,” where it is translated as the flowing, dynamic movement of a person skating around the stadium.
Audience sightlines, accessibility and acoustics all make theater seating a hugely precise art. As part of their set of online resources for architects and designers, the team at Theatre Solutions Inc (TSI) have put together a catalog of 21 examples of theater seating layouts. Each layout is well detailed, with information on the number of seats, the floor seating area and row spacing. These layouts fall under three general forms; to supplement this information, alongside TSI's diagrams we've included the pros and cons of each type, as well as examples of projects which use each format. Read on for more.
In architecture we are so caught up in creating something new, we often forget about what happens at the end of a building’s life cycle—the unfortunate, inevitable demolition. We may want our buildings to be timeless and live on forever, but the harsh reality is that they do not, so where is all the waste expected to go?
As with most non-recyclable waste, it ends up in the landfill and, as the land required for landfill becomes an increasingly scarce resource, we must find an alternative solution. Each year in the UK alone, 70–105 million tonnes of waste is created from demolishing buildings, and only 20% of that is biodegradable according to a study by Cardiff University. With clever design and a better awareness of the biodegradable materials available in construction, it’s up to us as architects to make the right decisions for the entirety of a building’s lifetime.
Five practices have been shortlisted to put forward designs for the Bristol Arena, a cultural and sporting hub which is set to have a 12,000 seating capacity and is due to open towards the end of 2017. The city's Mayor, George Ferguson (who is himself an architect-turned-politician), has said that "we now have five very capable and talented design teams with a wealth of experience between them drawing up proposals" that will contribute to the regeneration of the city's Temple Quarter Enterprise Zone (a site close to Temple Meads Station). The five shortlisted multi-disciplinary design teams are consortiums experienced in delivering major cultural venues in the UK or overseas. A team led by Populous, who completed the London 2012 Olympic Stadium, are running in collaboration with Feilden Clegg Bradley, who were shortlisted for the 2014 RIBA Stirling Prize. They are competing against teams led by Grimshaw and Wilkinson Eyre, who recently installed a cable-car across London's Millennium Dome.
See details of the five teams after the break.
The JS Dorton Arena, originally designed as a livestock judging pavilion for the North Carolina fairgrounds, was a deliberate political statement for the North Carolina State University about the courage of progress and value of taking risks. The architect, Matthew Nowicki, imagined a symphonic spatial experience where design, material and construction are choreographed in a highly challenging and sweeping, ambitious vision. Foregoing interior columns, the building combines intersecting parabolic arches of reinforced concrete with a grid of draped tension cables inspired by the tension system of the Golden Gate Bridge to support the entire span of the roof - the first of its kind.
Glasgow has just unveiled its new multipurpose structure which will end up revitalizing the Clyde Waterfront, which went into decline and neglect for many years following the closure of the town's major shipyards. After 8 years of construction, Foster + Partners' SSE Hydro now reveals its ETFE facade which is lit up every evening. During the day it manages to blend in with the usual changing Glasgow skyline.
The structure of the SSE Hydro Arena is covered by a 1.400 ton steel housing – one of the largest domes in Europe - and the ETFE translucent building enclosure allows one to discern what is happening inside from the outside. A 260 ton ring which supports the lighting is suspended from the dome, which will allow spectacular and customized lighting for each show.
The modern technology applied to this project contrasts with its interior structure that has been based on the Roman amphitheater, allowing each and every spectator at an event -- which can be up to 13.000 -- to have an optimal view of the stage. The viewing angle and comfort of the user is furthermore guaranteed by the special seating system designed by Foster + Partners along with Figueras International Seating.
