The sporting arena is the modern equivalent of a monument, the Holy Grail of an architect’s fantasy. The brief is simple: Make a spellbinding container for the sportsperson’s soaring ambition. These b
South Africa, Johannesburg Soccer City Stadium This stadium&mdashthe largest in Africa with a capacity of 94,736&mdashwas the venue for the 2010 FIFA World Cup Final, which was played between The Netherlands and Spain. Also called FNB Stadium, it underwent a major upgrade in 2010. Designed by the architects HOK Sport (renamed Populous in January 2009) and Boogertman + Partners, the stadiu
Image by Xiaoyang Liu / Corbis
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China, Beijing National Stadium Popularly known as &lsquoBird&rsquos Nest&rsquo, the $428-million stadium was accomplished by Swiss architects Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron of Herzog & de Meuron, project architect Stefan Marbach, artist Ai Weiwei and the China Architecture Design & Research Group (CADG), which was led by chief architect Li Xinggang. Made from 110,000 tonnes of steel
Image by Monirul Bhuiyan / AFP / Getty Images
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Sweden, Stockholm Ericsson Globe The Ericsson Globe, Stockholm&rsquos indoor arena, is currently the largest hemispherical building in the world, with a diameter of 110 metres and an inner height of 85 metres. The work of architects Svante Berg and Lars Vretblad, the globe represents the Sun in the Swedish solar system. It has two spherical gondolas, each able to accommodate up to 16 peop
Image by Getty Images
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Germany, Munich Allianz Arena The magnificent 75,024-capacity stadium is the first in the world with a full colour-changing exterior. The Swiss architect firm Herzog & de Meuron then developed the concept of the stadium with a see-through exterior made of ETFE-foil panels, that can be lit from the inside and are self-cleaning. The stadium is designed so that the main entrance to it would
Image by Franz-Marc Frei / Corbis
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Japan, ¯Oita ¯Oita Bank Dome This multipurpose stadium has a retractable dome roof, a truly incredible piece of engineering that took dome-building to a whole new level. The brainchild of the famed Japanese architect Kisho Kurokawa, the roof resembles, when opening and closing, the winking of a human eye, hence the nickname &lsquoBig Eye&rsquo. The complexity of the system entails that, t
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Portugal, Braga Estádio Municipal De Braga Enormous rock moving processes added to the costs but the result is worth the spectacle: A gem of a stadium carved out of a mountainside quarry (Monte Castro) that looks out on to the city of Braga. The stadium is an extension of the mountain. Behind the goal at one end are the rock walls of the quarry and at the other is an open view of the cit
Image by Ben Radford / Getty Images
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Singapore, Marina Bay The Float Simply put, it&rsquos the world&rsquos largest floating stage, located on the waters of the Marina Reservoir, in Marina Bay, Singapore. The idea was conceived by the organising committee of the Singapore National Day Parade. Made entirely of steel, the float on Marina Bay measures 120 by 83 metres. The platform can bear up to 1,070 tonnes, equivalent to the
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England, London Aquatic Centre From sculptural curves to a skyline framed by the sweeping roof, this centre&mdashdescribed by Jacques Rogge, former International Olympic Committee president, as a &ldquomasterpiece&rdquo&mdashwas designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Zaha Hadid in 2004. This indoor facility is equipped with two 50-metre swimming pools and a 25-metre diving pool wit
