STADIUM DESIGN
stadia and arena. At the same time, there is a
greater awareness of the cost of bidding and hosting these events as well as a demand for greater analysis of the social, cultural and environmental legacy of a venue. Being able to demonstrate how the views of spectators and local communities have been taken into account becomes more important than ever.
CASE STUDY: THE ALLIANZ ARENA The Allianz Arena in Munich recently hosted the Champion’s League Football Final in May 2012 and encapsulates many of the developments we are seeing in sports and entertainment venues. Arup worked with Herzog de Meuron Architects and contractors, Alpine and Sailer Stepan and Partners to design, develop and deliver the new home for football clubs, Bayern Munich and TSV 1860 Munich. The design of the seating bowl
was constructed around FIFA and UEFA’s requirements for the pitch, the pitch margins and the now obligatory pitch-side advertising. The form of the seating bowl, and the
Fans are expecting more and more interactive content – pictured is the Lords Media Stand.
distribution of the seating within, influences almost every other aspect of a stadium’s design, from the shape and structure of the roof to the levels and areas of the concourses and premium facilities, from the positions of the giant screens to the amount of sunlight, daylight, and wind reaching the pitch. The stadium also features a three-tier design which gives spectators undisturbed views of the pitch – bringing them as close as possible to the action and at the same time ensuring that emergency strategies have been taken into account. In terms of planning how
crowds access and move around the venue, the Allianz Arena incorporates an innovative concept for connecting the upper levels – 15 cascading stairways allow rapid movement and access to all floors coupled with a continuous band of openings in the external walls running along the landings, while stair flights help alleviate overcrowding of spectators. The width of escape routes also allows for a smooth exit, should the stadium ever be evacuated. The stadium itself is situated
some distance away from the city centre, near a major
The AAMI Park Stadium has been carefully designed to reduce bottlenecks.
motorway, and it became obvious that a substantial car park and train station would be needed close by. To cater for this, the design team concealed a 12,000-space car park beneath a planted plaza deck, one that stretches from the train station to the main entrance. Finally the stadium roof and
façade are clad with the ETFE pillow array, and the structural frame of the bowl and the stands
are made of reinforced concrete. The ETFE pillows cover the entire building and are illuminated giving the building its most striking and distinctive feature - a façade capable of changing colour and reflecting the colours of the clubs using the arena. From atmosphere to spectacle, it’s an approach aimed to deliver fan satisfaction and awe, while rigidly adhering to structural requirements.
ArchitectNews.co.uk | Architects Choice | 29
Image: John Gollings
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