Sports and entertainment stadiums are some of the most impressive pieces of architecture to be found anywhere in the world, and they inspire some truly amazing designs. The following are ten of the very best. Here are 10 most amazing stadium designs…
10 – Beijing National Stadium
Capacity: 80 000
The Bird’s nest, as it is nicknamed, was built for the 2008 Summer Olympics, and is of a striking design. Main mainly of steel, it doesn’t look like any other structure in the world. Billions watched when it hosted the Olympic opening ceremony.
9 – BayArena – Bayer Leverkusen – Capacity: 30,210
The expansion and renovation of 2007–2009 added a second tier over the east, north and west sections, new VIP suites between the two tiers, a new oval roof covering all seats as well as the complete rebuild of the club’s main facilities in the west section.
8 – Qi Zhong Stadium – Capacity: 13,779
This Chinese sports arena looks just like a flower from above. The petals are actually a moveable roof, and can slide into place in just eight minutes. It’s both incredibly beautiful, and very functional.
7 – Resonac Dome Oita – Capacity: 40,000
Also known as Oita Bank Dome, this beautifully curved structure is a multi-purpose sports venue with a retractable roof, ands seats 43,000 spectators. It’s a simple but effective design.
6 – Olympic Stadium Quebec – Capacity: 78,322
The Olympic Stadium in Quebec has one of the most impressive methods of retracting the roof that you’ll see anywhere. A 175 metre tower that sweeps above the arena is what opens and closes the roof.
5 – Munich Olympic Stadium – Capacity: 69,250
The Olympic stadium in Munich, not to be confused with the one in Berlin, is the former home of Bayern Munich football club. It is unmistakeable in its appearance, featuring an array of tent-like spires around the edge. It seats around 80,000 people.
4 – Yoyogi National Stadium – Capacity: 13,291
Famous for its amazing roof, the Yoyogi National Gymnasium is located in a park in Tokyo. While it may be one of the smallest stadiums on this list, seating just 13,000 people, this ice hockey and basketball venue is beautifully designed nonetheless.
3 – Water Cube – Capacity: 4,598 (17,000 during Olympics)
Also built for the 2008 summer Olympics, this aquatics center is actually a very plain cube shape. It gets on this list however, because of the awesome multi-coloured bubble design that goes all the way around it.
2 – Yas Marina Circuit – Capacity: 60,000
The only racing track on the list, the Yas Marina Circuit’s spectator stand is nothing short of spectacular. Being on the inside of the track, it has a completely different design to most stadiums, which makes it amazing to look at.
1 – Allianz Arena – Capacity: 75,024
he current home of Bayern Munich is undisputedly the coolest arena in the world. It is the first one to feature a full colour change function on the outside, to accommodate the different teams that might play there. It’s red for Bayern and when turns white when the German national team are at home. It can also show a mixture of any of them.
