Sports arena are important in our communities, serving as essential hubs for culture and sports events. They contribute to improving public health, promoting physical activity, and nurturing a sense of belonging among individuals from diverse backgrounds.

1) The Role of Architects in Designing Sports Arena

The significance of architects in sports arena is paramount, as they hold the power to impact the efficiency of sports performance. Safety is a foremost concern, and architects play a pivotal role in guaranteeing the well-being of all individuals who engage with the facility. This safety aspect varies depending on the sport, necessitating architects to deeply understand the sport and its potential safety hazards. Sports arena often evoke a sense of wonder due to their remarkable designs. While functionality takes precedence in the list of requirements, aesthetics are equally important, and it falls to architects to execute this aspect with precision.
Read More: 12 Highly Effective Types of Architects and What They Do

2) Requirements of Sports Arena

The essential sports arena have developed alongside the emergence of new sports throughout the years. Each sport has unique requirements, so the venues where these activities occur must be custom-designed to meet those specific needs. For example, the arenas for javelin throwing would significantly differ from basketball arenas. Consequently, architects need to understand each sport’s intricacies and what they entail deeply. The demands of sports arenas can be grouped into three primary categories: the athletes, other involved participants, and the spectators.

1- Requirements of Athletes in Sports Arena

Functionality is essential in all architecture, and sports arenas are no exception. Architects must deeply understand the sport to create functional facilities. This understanding streamlines their role in sports arena design. Architects are vital for safety in sports arena design, ensuring precise dimensions and spacing to prevent issues and accidents, like a swimming arena’s correct pool dimensions and nearby medical arenas for swift injury care. Efficiency is critical in sports arena design, and architects who understand the sport and athletes’ needs strategically place facilities. This prevents navigation issues, saving athletes time.

2- Requirements of Sports teams

Every sport involves athletes and coaches or facilitators who assist in training and proper execution of the sport. The size of this group often grows with larger teams. Even individual athletes, like racers, rely on a team for peak performance. To optimize a player’s performance, an architect must address the team’s requirements, including changing rooms, storage areas, offices, board rooms, private entrances, and exits in sports arenas.

3- Requirements of Spectators

It is incumbent upon architects to comprehend the requirements of sports arena, catering not only to athletes but also to the countless fans who seek entertainment in these venues.
Sports Arena must possess visual appeal and allure, drawing in larger audiences. Architects play a pivotal role in ensuring that spectators can easily access the premises and are offered many amenities within the sports facilities. Depending on the community’s needs, these sports venues can serve as hubs for social interaction, providing additional services such as communal open and enclosed spaces, dining areas, cinemas, and even exhibition areas.

3) Top 7 examples of Sports Arena

We offer seven instances that delve into various methods and materials when tackling the program, establishing an inviting environment for athletes and encouraging interaction with the community and the environment.

1- Castanheiras Arena in Santana de Parnaiba | Estúdio Trópico

The Arena Project includes a 2,100 square meter canopy to cover an indoor sports court. Initially, the canopy structure was planned to be constructed from glued laminated wood but was ultimately built with steel—the canopy design aimed to maximize natural light and ventilation. The orientation of the zenith openings was toward the South. 

The side enclosures, situated 2.3 meters above the ground, were designed to facilitate natural ventilation and maintain visual transparency to the surroundings. These enclosures were constructed using aluminum trapezoidal tiles with a 31% perforation in some areas, allowing views of the surroundings. In other sections, 10cm-thick sandwich tiles were used on the exterior side, featuring perforations on the inner face and filled with Rockwool insulation, providing thermal and acoustic insulation.

2- Bilbao Arena | ACXT

The Bilbao Arena was conceived with an architectural design inspired by a tree, featuring tree-like pillars supporting the metal structure facade. Painted steel sheets in various colors created a ventilated enclosure that conceals all the climate control machinery.
The corridor spaces within the arena provide an open-air environment that requires no artificial ventilation or air conditioning. This design enhances fire safety and evacuation measures. It transforms the hall into a vantage point, offering stunning city center views when spectators open the exit doors onto the street.

The sports arena roof is a green canopy, acting as a rainwater reservoir. It stores rainwater, which is then drawn into the plant substrate through capillary action, eliminating the need for irrigation. Additionally, excess pool water, mandated by law to be discarded at a rate of 5% per day, is stored in a basement cistern. This stored water is repurposed to refill the trucks used for street cleaning in Bilbao.

3- São Luís Sports & Arts Gymnasium | Urdi Arquitetura

The Gymnasium’s renovation involved expanding the courts by adding a rooftop grass field and incorporating retractable bleachers. The architects designed these retractable bleachers on one side to maintain a direct visual connection with the city, particularly with the large trees surrounding the corner where the new Gymnasium is situated. Climate control is a central feature of the new building, achieved through the architectural design of the facades. Strategically positioned permanent openings allow fresh air circulation within the courts, and specialized glass panels manage incoming solar radiation.

Furthermore, the ability to open all the sliding doors on the north facade helps regulate wind intensity during different seasons.
The entire building has been acoustically treated to accommodate sporting events and institutional and cultural activities regularly held at the school. With a complete theater infrastructure, the space’s sound reverberation and acoustic insulation have been precisely calibrated for various uses. The building sets high standards for comfort and excellence without causing disruptions to the surrounding neighborhood.

 4- Outdoor Sports Facilities of the German School of Athens | Katerina-Olympia Daskalaki + Myrto Matala

The outdoor sports facilities at the German School of Athens are part of a comprehensive project that secured the First Prize in the competitive architectural contest titled “Revamping the Outdoor Spaces of the German School of Athens Campus.
This project aims to create a functional and aesthetically pleasing environment that aligns with the institution’s updated standards. The new athletic amenities encompass a range of features, including a running track, high jump, long jump, shot put, tennis, volleyball, handball, and basketball courts, a tennis training wall, a bouldering wall, outdoor exercise zones, and slackline setups.

A significant element of the project involves the diverse coloration of the flooring, which emphasizes the layout of the sports fields. These vibrant hues have been deliberately selected to signify the recreational nature of physical activities and inspire children to engage in exercise and play within a modern and lively space.

5- Lentpark | Schulitz Architekten

Lentpark boasts a prominent feature in its 260-meter-long elevated ice skating track, positioned above the ice hockey rink and visually connected to the swimming area. A highly insulated glass facade is used to partition the ice track and swimming area to ensure the appropriate climate separation. Overhead, the distinctive yellow lattice-like roof structure not only supports the ice track without the need for columns but also provides unobstructed views of the urban landscape, the adjacent park, the ice hockey rink, and the swimming area. Simultaneously, visitors at the ice hockey rink and the swimming pools can observe the skaters on the ice track, fostering an interconnected and transparent ambiance.

The building’s facade prioritizes transparency, while external panels play a dual role in maintaining a calm indoor environment during the summer months and preventing unwanted glare. These reflective steel panels are designed with varying angles to correspond with the sun’s positions on the structure’s east, south, and west sides. When viewed from the outside, the stadium presents an engaging and dynamic appearance as it interacts with the play of light on its surfaces. On the inside, visitors enjoy the benefits of natural light and the interplay of light and shadow, enhancing the overall experience.

6- Bamboo Sports Hall for Panyaden International School | Chiangmai Life Construction

The 782-square-meter sports hall hosts various court sports and includes an automated stage. Balconies on both sides provide viewing areas for parents and spectators. The design, featuring bamboo construction, provides year-round comfort through natural ventilation and insulation, emphasizing craftsmanship and aesthetics.

The hall meets contemporary safety standards and was developed with input from two independent engineers. Remarkably, Panyaden’s Sports Hall is carbon-neutral, with bamboo chosen for its ability to absorb more carbon than was emitted during its processing, transport, and construction. This bamboo, treated with eco-friendly borax salt instead of toxic chemicals, is expected to last at least 50 years.

7- Kaltensteinhalle – Timber Sports Hall | Dietrich | Untertrifaller Architekten

The new sports hall is a cost-effective timber element construction designed to be compact and functional. Its cantilevered roof serves as a welcoming entrance and shields from the weather while providing effective shading to the south. The barrier-free door is covered and encourages visitors to enjoy the indoor and outdoor spaces during events. Despite its compact layout, the ground floor’s open design offers visibility into all activity areas, resulting in a communicative, honest, and well-lit building. The roof beam geometry prevents athletes from glare and ensures even and ample daylight.