If sport were a religion, then the stadium would surely be its place of worship.
Inside these temples to physical feats, language evokes the divine — fearful fans “pray for a miracle,” while losing prompts serious “soul-searching.”
So much so that architects these days must create more than a stage for human endurance.
It’s as if they have been asked to perform the architectural equivalent of feeding the 5,000 with five loaves and two fish — constructing an arena to elevate the senses, capture the spirit of a community, and become an icon for a city long after the last fan has passed through the turnstiles.
It’s like creating a contemporary cathedral in some ways
Spela Videcnik, architect of Borisov Arena
“It’s like creating a contemporary cathedral in some ways,” said Spela Videcnik, architect behind the sci-fi “spotty” Borisov Arena, home to the Belarus national football team.
“Often the stadium is meant to become the pride of a city, a landmark object, and as such, a monument representing the latest achievements in architecture.”
Since ancient Greeks built the first Olympic stadium in fine white marble, the arena has been as much about inspiring awe, as staging competition.
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Natural instinct
But before Nienhoff even puts pen to paper, one of the first places he looks for inspiration is nature.
With its reptilian façade, the Amazon Arena, built in Manaus for the World up in Brazil this year, borrows much from the surrounding jungle.
“If you look into the structures of nature like a leaf, or the skin of a snake, there’s always a logical system behind it,” explained Nienhoff.
“Manaus is in the middle of a rainforest, so that’s where we turned for inspiration. We’re really trying to design something that’s only meant for this one place.”
Like nature itself, these modern day temples of pleasure will also need to regenerate themselves, in order to survive.
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