Australian firm Laboratory For Visionary Architecture (LAVA) and Designsport and local Ethiopian firm JDAW have together won the international architecture competition for a new FIFA and Olympic-standard 60,000 seat stadium in Addis Ababa.
The JDAW/Designsport/LAVA consortium includes aimed to combine local identity with new technology.
The masterplan includes IOC-standard stadium for FIFA matches, athletics events, concerts, religious and national festivals; and a sports village comprising indoor and outdoor aquatic centres, outdoor pitches, sports halls and arenas, dormitories and the headquarters for the Federal Sport Commission.
Hospitality, retail and commercial zones were included to ensure that the precinct is vibrant throughout the year.
Chris Bosse, LAVA director, said: “We have gone back to the very origin of stadium design with a sunken arena surrounded by grandstands formed from excavated material. This man-made crater is a clever remodelling of the existing terrain and generates efficient spaces, optimises environmental performance, minimises construction costs and integrates facilities within the existing landscape. ”
Addis architect Daniel Assefa and director of JDAW said: “The design references Ethiopia’s world-famous excavated architecture —centuries-old rock churches, dwellings and cisterns. We see the sports city as a natural extension to this heritage, one that will draw many more visitors to our beautiful country.”
The Massob, an Ethiopian communal serving basket made from woven grass, inspired the façade material that wraps the stadium.
Daniel Assefa also notes: "The form of the stadium structure seen from the top view also recalls coffee beans, the main source of income in Ethiopia and the 'Mother womb', the skeleton of one of the first humans, Lucy, which is about 3.2 million years old".
A statement from the architects says the roof of the stadium, an intelligent membrane, appears like a cloud on the horizon of the vast Ethiopian sky, a lightweight tensile structure floating over the formed-earth landscape.
Tectonic structures and movement are the underlying concept for the masterplan. The breathtaking beauty of the surrounding Entoto Hills is the backdrop to a design that responds to the volcanic geology of the region. Gently undulating urban parkland follows the lines of the crater and is conceived as a continuous spatial experience strategically activated to balance movement, climate, experience and efficiency. A central plaza forms the heart of the project and a ridge connects all zones.
Giant solar powered umbrellas provide shade and shelter whilst pedestrian activated light and water features appear as fissures in the ground surface, providing way finding and creating animated art works.
Images courtesy LAVA
