Populous-designed BBVA Bancomer stadium opens in Monterrey, Mexico
The US$200m (€184m, £128m) Estadio BBVA Bancomer, touted as the most hospitality-driven soccer stadium in Latin America, has opened in Monterrey, Mexico.
Designed by sports architects Populous, the 51,000-capacity stadium will be the new home of Club de Fútbol Monterrey (CF Monterrey).
What makes the stadium unique in the region is the emphasis on creating a premium fan experience.
The stadium boasts 324 luxury suites – more than any other soccer stadium in the world – and 4,500 club seats, distributed in two central club lounges which will service all club seat holders. The West Club includes a kids’ zone and unique balcony with views to players’ tunnel.
Each seating section has hawker’s service points built into the seating bowl, offering instant service for fans in their seats. The proportion of restrooms and points of sales per spectator exceeds the current standards in Mexican facilities.
Fans will also be closer to the pitch than at most other stadia – nine meters on the side lines, the closest distance allowed by FIFA.
More than 800 high definition televisions are located throughout the concourses for continued connection with the action on the field.
David Lizarraga, lead architect on the project and Senior Associate at Populous, said that Estadio BBVA will “usher in the next generation of stadiums in Latin America”.
“I’m confident the vision for the stadium will forever change what Latin American soccer fans expect in a stadium,” Lizarraga said.
“The level of comfort for fans and athletes will be unparalleled in Estadio BBVA Bancomer. All seats will have excellent views to the field. The stadium was designed to be friendly and welcoming for all members of society: children, women, elderly, families, persons with disabilities, the young and the old.”
“Through creative urban planning, an understanding of global trends in the fan experience and a progressive, sophisticated vision for the sport’s future in the region, Estadio BBVA Bancomer has the potential to transform an entire region’s expectations.”
According to Lizarraga, the design has been inspired by the region’s history of brewing and steel manufacturing.
The structure is clad in metallic armature and aluminum, paying tribute to the steels mills that once thrived in the city. The silhouette of brewing stills influenced the asymmetrical shape of the stadium that lowers to the south, framing the famous Cerro de la Silla Mountain.
“The design was inspired by the aspects of Monterrey that have made it such a unique city,” Lizarraga said. “Monterrey has long been a major steel manufacturer and a city of “the brewery”, some of the city’s most interesting legacies. The design honors this with materials selected that highlight this history – like an aluminium façade – and crescent shaped openings that pays tribute to beer stills and steel mills.”
To add to the in-game experience, AV specialist Daktronics – working in partnership with Mexican partner Pantallas Publitronics – has supplied two LED video displays, each measuring 8.41 metres high by 19.02 metres wide and featuring 13HD pixel layouts.
The displays feature variable content zoning which allows each display to show one large image or to be divided into multiple different zones to provide any combination of live video, instant replays, scoring information, animations and sponsorship messages.
Aman sister brand Janu debuts in Tokyo with four-floor urban wellness retreat
€38m geothermal spa and leisure centre to revitalise Croatian city of Bjelovar
Two Santani eco-friendly wellness resorts coming to Oman, partnered with Omran Group
Kerzner shows confidence in its Siro wellness hotel concept, revealing plans to open 100
Ritz-Carlton, Portland unveils skyline spa inspired by unfolding petals of a rose
Rogers Stirk Harbour & Partners are just one of the names behind The Emory hotel London and Surrenne private members club
Peninsula Hot Springs unveils AUS$11.7m sister site in Australian outback
IWBI creates WELL for residential programme to inspire healthy living environments
Conrad Orlando unveils water-inspired spa oasis amid billion-dollar Evermore Resort complex
Studio A+ realises striking urban hot springs retreat in China's Shanxi Province
Populous reveals plans for major e-sports arena in Saudi Arabia
Wake The Tiger launches new 1,000sq m expansion
Othership CEO envisions its urban bathhouses in every city in North America
Merlin teams up with Hasbro and Lego to create Peppa Pig experiences
SHA Wellness unveils highly-anticipated Mexico outpost
One&Only One Za’abeel opens in Dubai featuring striking design by Nikken Sekkei
Luxury spa hotel, Calcot Manor, creates new Grain Store health club
'World's largest' indoor ski centre by 10 Design slated to open in 2025
Murrayshall Country Estate awarded planning permission for multi-million-pound spa and leisure centre
Aman's Janu hotel by Pelli Clarke & Partners will have 4,000sq m of wellness space
Therme Group confirms Incheon Golden Harbor location for South Korean wellbeing resort
Universal Studios eyes the UK for first European resort
King of Bhutan unveils masterplan for Mindfulness City, designed by BIG, Arup and Cistri
Rural locations are the next frontier for expansion for the health club sector
Tonik Associates designs new suburban model for high-end Third Space health and wellness club
Aman sister brand Janu launching in Tokyo in 2024 with design by Denniston's Jean-Michel Gathy
The Peninsula London unveils Peter Marino-designed spa inspired by London’s famous parks
First glimpses revealed of Mandarin Oriental, Mayfair's subterranean spa retreat
"Architecture is alive" says Ma Yansong, as Shenzhen art museum opens exhibition showcasing work of MAD Architects
SHA Mexico to debut in January 2024 with genome-inspired design by Sordo Madaleno
Early-onset MS inspired Adria Lake to explore resilience as both a healing modality and an approach to design in the creation of her new home and company headquarters in Colorado