Sports Architecture: The Latest Architecture and News

Construction is finished for Japanese architect Toyo Ito's Solar Powered Stadium in Taiwan. The stadium's roof is covered by ca. 8800 solar panels. The stadium is located in Kaohsiung, Taiwan and it was built to coincide with the opening of the World Games, to be held July 2009.

The "World Games Stadium" holds 55,000 spectators and it cost $150 million to build. The stadium will hold the record for largest solar-powered stadium in the world with it's 13,000 ㎡ roof. It could potentially generate 1,100,000kW of electricity every year, enough to power up to 80% of the sorrounding neighbourhood.

Seen at deputydog. More images, after the break.

The French Rugby Federation (FFR) recently announced they will use the proposal by Populous and Ateliers 2/3/4/ for the design of the Grand Stade. After several months of discussions with three competing groups, the FFR has made its choice of designers and has issued the first computer-rendered images. The FFR Grand Stade will be much more than a stadium; the 82,000 capacity venue will become the ‘national stadium of rugby’. It will host all the French rugby home matches, and also accommodate conventions, shows and a broad range of sporting events thanks to its multi-purpose design. More images and architects’ description after the break.

In search of the architectural and spatial form for the designed sports hall in Białystok, Studio EL, through their investigation of applied form typologies used in sports facilities, decided to use the coating system. This type of design is characterized by freshness, terseness and coherence in form and in contents of a function. The design consists of two-curvature, two-layered, steel space frames which will cover the space of the sports hall and will be based on the double buttresses located in its ambit. More images and architects’ description after the break.

Wilmotte & Associés recently won the competition to design the 2018 FIFA World Cup Stadium in Kaliningra, Russia. Their design features an urban facade that wraps the stadium, consisting of a series of orthogonal screens that respond to the surrounding urban context. The project will be constructed from a primary steel structure, but the upper tier of the stadium will be temporary. The stadium has been designed so that after the tournament completes in 2018, the stands can be dismantled and the upper canopy can be removed. Construction of the 45,000 seat football stadium will begin in 2014. More images and architects’ description after the break.