WORLD VIEW:
STADIUM AND THE CITY The stadium has traditionally been one of the most recognizable structures. The stadium is the urban venue where cities meet to exhibit their civic pride, and hence, become a symbol of the community in which they are located. The stadium as an architectural typology is hard to comprehend without first comprehending the society in which it exists. They represent society’s culture and viewpoints. The stadium serves as the urban center for the celebration of the event’s ritual. When the team wins, it is a location where the entire community comes together to celebrate, and when the team loses, it is a place where the entire community mourns. The stadium is the city’s most urban building today. The stadium, however, is more than just a sports venue. It’s a means of reviving the city. It is a hotbed of economic development (Duriko, 2014). Professional sports such as major league baseball, American football, football, and hockey are attracting large audiences of local and visiting spectators to attend the games at mixed-use complexes.
“The success of a mixed-use project hinges on activity. The more people that are walking around, using the space and engaging with it, the more it creates an inclusive atmosphere and people want to be there,” explains David Demarest, JLL International Director, and Southeast Market Leader. “We look at the mix of opportunities, but what’s more important is what can people do at those venues, and how they tie into the stadium or arena,” says Mark Williams, AIA, LEED AP, Principal and Director of Sports & Entertainment Business Development with HKS Architects, which designed Los Angeles Stadium at Hollywood Park. “Sophisticated ownership now understands that you have to capture audiences with a broader entertainment and time frame.”
Fig 3- Mix of Opportunities at Los Angeles Stadium (by HKS Architects) Source- https://www.archdaily.com/800073/hks-designed-la-stadium-willbe-the-largest-in-the-nfl
In a country like India which celebrates and enjoys sports, there is a need to make stadiums an intrinsic part of the city. More activities might take place in and around the stadiums, connecting them to the city and raising aspiration and passion in the community. A range of everyday, ceremonial spaces, in addition to the stadium’s seats, tiers,
Every sports project that Kansas City-based architectural firm Populous is working on “has some vision of mixed-use development,” says John Shreve, Senior Principal, and Senior Urban Planner, “It’s what cities want.”
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clubs, and lounges, clearly form part of an overall spatial narrative that exemplifies the experience of watching a sporting event.
Fig 4- Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad, Gujarat by Populous Source- https://populous.com/project/narendra-modi-stadium
