This work was carried out as a degree project for my architectural studies in the University of the Basque Country. Despite the stadium being such a representative typology of contemporary culture it is usually disregarded in academic fields, and I decided to explore it from an architectural point of view.
Stadia are often the biggest constructions within a city, as shown by aerial photographs. Football grounds are also popular measurement units for large spaces. Besides their geographical and spatial reference function, they often act as cultural and social referents for the city, strongly tied to the idea of spectacle.
Greeks and Romans built their stadia and amphitheatres in prominent locations with a bold urban presence. Today we tend to build them in the outskirts, reflecting the structure and functioning of the contemporary city.
The project is based on a real brief (a new football stadium for Real Unión), in a no man's land formerly occupied by Spanish-French border facilities, which were dismantled following the Schengen Agreement. It is part of a masterplan that aims to turn this well-connected area into a facility hub at territorial scale, serving the people at both sides of the border.
Development work:
