Stadium Architecture

[Matt in the Hat]

Post your favorites. Mine will exist in Spring 2009

http://newyork.mets.mlb.com/nym/images/ballpark/citifield/img_citifield1_450x338.jpg

[nicodemus]

While I certainly recognize that there are architecturally superior stadiums, my favorite is the one in my backyard:

Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, AL
Capacity: 92,138
Opened in 1929
Most recent expansion in 2006

http://rollbamaroll.com/images/admin/image001.jpg

http://www.southerngent.org/football/bryant_denny_night.jpg

(The second one was taken before the most recent expansion though.)

http://images.rollbamaroll.com/images/admin/front_detail_sm.jpg

[Crimen y Castigo]

Not that I'm an architectural stalker or anything, but the same guys who built the de Young museum in SF (which I posted in "your town's best building" thread) are building one of China's main stadia for the 2008 Olympics.

Nicknamed "the birds' nest" (which is a very positive nickname in Chinese) it's pretty great:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/eb/Beijing_National_Stadium.jpg

and almost finished:

http://www.theage.com.au/ffximage/2006/08/11/12WOR_STADIUM_wideweb__470x289,0.jpg

And here's a highly recommended link to a great, great page with other designs that lost out to this final design for 2008 games. (http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.bjghw.gov.cn/forNationalStadium/b11/xiaoguo/303.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.bjghw.gov.cn/forNationalStadium/indexeng.asp&h=750&w=1000&sz=470&hl=en&start=17&tbnid=_k4OkON5Qh5SuM:&tbnh=112&tbnw=149&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dchina%2Bstadium%2B%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26hs%3DQmT%26sa%3DN)

[Crimen y Castigo]

These guys also designed an aquatic center --- "the glass cube" -- for the Olympics:

http://www.pam.org.my/pic/datum2004/entrancenew.gif

http://www.pam.org.my/pic/datum2004/newfly.gif

Which I think is also actually being built:

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/sports/2006-07/06/xin_100703061111369072913.jpg

[Crimen y Castigo]

And of course they also designed Munich's Allianz Arena, which hosted several WC 06 matches and is home to Bayern Munich and 1860 I think:

http://www.mathematik.uni-bielefeld.de/~jhberg/allianz%20arena.jpg

http://www.southcn.com/sports/nfs/moment/200505310808_1025866.JPG

http://www.content-free.de/data/media/30/allianz-arena.jpg

Do a google image search for that arena for many other great shots -- it has quite a few color variations depending what team is playing.

[The Double]

Post your favorites. Mine will exist in Spring 2009

http://newyork.mets.mlb.com/nym/images/ballpark/citifield/img_citifield1_450x338.jpg

And I will be there.

[el-capitano]

Are we judging it architecturally- by the look of it, by the fans- best atmosphere? or practically- best sight lines, disabled access, facilities etc?

[Matt in the Hat]

Are we judging it architecturally- by the look of it, by the fans- best atmosphere? or practically- best sight lines, disabled access, facilities etc?
Anything but atmosphere. La Bombadera is a shithole but it has great atmosphere.

Sight lines are cool but only if they go along with the aesthetic. Wrigley Field has crap sitelines and awful amenitites but it is quite aestheically pleasing (or in otherwords, fly)

[Midorit]

Amsterdam ArenA

http://www.squashpics.com/yourpics/Amsterdam%20Arena.jpg

http://www.topsportamsterdam.nl/Upload/Imgs/arena3.jpg

http://www.minbuza.nl/binaries/afbeeldingen-nieuw/foto-album/nederland-in-beelden/detailfoto-s/078.jpg

I watched Euro 2000 semi-final Netherland vs Italy from the same angle as the first picture.With the full capacity crowd and roofs hanging over our heads,it still had an airy feel to it.

[TheSlipperyOne]

http://content.answers.com/main/content/wp/en-commons/thumb/f/f5/300px-Nt-Aveiro-Estadio_Beira-Mar.jpg

[Jayfil]

http://content.answers.com/main/content/wp/en-commons/thumb/f/f5/300px-Nt-Aveiro-Estadio_Beira-Mar.jpg

Where is that? Portugal?

[TheSlipperyOne]

Yep.

[Crimen y Castigo]

http://content.answers.com/main/content/wp/en-commons/thumb/f/f5/300px-Nt-Aveiro-Estadio_Beira-Mar.jpg

Just my opinion, but that looks like the 1980s threw up a bunch of Legos and Super Mario built a stadium out them.

[GringoTex]

http://www.stadiumsofnfl.com/future/cowboys751.jpg

How bout them Cowboys!

[655321]

http://www.stadiumsofnfl.com/future/cowboys751.jpg

How bout them Cowboys!

"Jerryland"

[krudmonk]

http://www.inetours.com/images/Snglimgs/Abv_Pac_Bell_Park.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/pj48/image/34470110/medium.jpg

[Pirru]

azteca

http://www.worldstadiums.com/stadium_pictures/north_america/mexico/central_mexico/mexico_city_azteca1.jpg




http://img522.imageshack.us/img522/7786/s13sc.jpg

[ChinaDan]

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y265/Dan1210/Random%20Stuff/valencianew12.jpg


http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y265/Dan1210/Random%20Stuff/valencianew13.jpg

Valencia's new stadium....

[GOREVS3000]

I love that nearly all the stadiums in America include parking lots and in everywhere else they don't. It just shows you how we as Americans value cars more than people in the way we design things. Its a real shame.

[nicodemus]

I love that nearly all the stadiums in America include parking lots and in everywhere else they don't. It just shows you how we as Americans value cars more than people in the way we design things. Its a real shame.
It's a new trend though. There have only been four American stadiums posted in this thread, two have huge parking lots next to them, two don't. The two that do are drawings.