US National Football League (NFL) franchise the Atlanta Falcons has released a new video showing the final stages of construction work on their US$1.5bn (€1.3bn, £1.1bn) stadium. The Mercedes-Benz Stadium, designed by sports architects HOK, is scheduled to officially open on 26 August for a Falcons preseason game against the Arizona Cardinals. The video, filmed in May, shows construction workers adding the finishing touches to the structure’s unique eight-petal plastic

US National Football League (NFL) franchise the Atlanta Falcons has released a new video showing the final stages of construction work on their US$1.5bn (€1.3bn, £1.1bn) stadium. The Mercedes-Benz Stadium, designed by sports architects HOK, is scheduled to officially open on 26 August for a Falcons preseason game against the Arizona Cardinals. The video, filmed in May, shows construction workers adding the finishing touches to the structure’s unique eight-petal plastic

Major League Soccer (MLS) franchise DC United has secured a US$25m (£19.3m, €22m) funding package to make its soon-to-be-built new stadium more energy efficient. The package has been agreed with the mayor of Washington DC Muriel Bowser and the Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE). Funding will go towards the installation of energy efficient equipment at the 20,000-capacity Audi Field venue, such as 884kw solar panels and stormwater retention system.

David Beckham’s plans to launch a glamorous new Major League Soccer (MLS) franchise in Miami have taken a major step forward, with the county’s board of commissioners agreeing to sell a 2.8 acre plot of land he needs to build a stadium. Miami Beckham United (MBU), the consortium representing the footballing icon, has paid over US$9m (€7.9m, £7m) for the land in Miami’s Overtown neighbourhood and said it is “looking

HOK’s sport and recreation division has been recognised for its sustainability credentials, being nominated for a Sports Humanitarian of the Year award. The Kansas-based architecture practice finds itself in the Corporate Community Impact Award category of the third edition of the ceremony, which is organised by sports broadcaster ESPN. Among the achievements it is being recognised for is its design of the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, which is the first-ever

Meis Architects, the studio behind the soon-to-be-constructed AS Roma stadium, has unveiled renderings of a 25,000-capacity stadium being designed for Major League Soccer (MLS) hopeful FC Cincinnati. The plans were unveiled by Dan Meis – founder of Meis Architects – and club owner Carl Lindner III in front of 600 FC Cincinnati season ticket holders. Three sites have been earmarked for the stadium: Oakley, Newport and West End. However, no

HOK has been selected to design the first-ever multi-purpose arena on Abu Dhabi’s Yas Island – an 18,000-capacity sport and entertainment venue. The flexible Yas Arena can be transformed from an 18,000-capacity venue to an intimate 500-seat theatre depending on the nature of the event it is hosting. Sporting events, concerts, conventions and community gatherings are expected to take place at the arena. As well as standard seating, the arena

Members of the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) – the owner of Lord’s Cricket Ground – will be asked if they would be content for a “large-scale” residential development to be built within the venue to fund redevelopment projects. The question will be posed as part of a review carried out by MCC to see if there is appetite for the ground’s Nursery End to be revamped. Two development options have

London’s Oval is set to become the largest cricket ground in the UK as a result of an ambitious redevelopment plan. Surrey County Cricket Club, the occupier of the venue, is submitting plans that would see the ground’s capacity increase to 40,000 – larger than the 30,000-seat Lord’s Cricket Ground. The club already has planning permission for a large development next to the Pavilion, named 1 Oval Square, which will

Global sports architects HOK have collaborated with four international rugby players to discuss what is needed in the rugby stadiums of the future. John Rhodes, a director of the practice’s Sports + Recreation + Entertainment division, met with Jamie Roberts of Wales, Tim Visser of Scotland, James Horwill of Australia and Danny Care of England to learn from their experiences as players and fans. HOK has released the conversation and

World-renowned chefs the Roux family will create fine dining experiences for spectators at Tottenham Hotspur’s new-look White Hart Lane stadium when it opens next year. While football fans in Britain are accustomed to enjoying a pie and a pint of beer during a game, Tottenham wants to offer a rather more high-end alternative for those with deep pockets and an appetite for the finer things in life. For 12 matches

Footballer Lionel Messi has inspired a new theme park in China, which will have over 20 multimedia attractions dedicated to the FC Barcelona star. A consortium of developers, including China’s Phoenix Group and Spanish conglomerate Mediapro, are backing the Messi Experience Park in Nanjing – described as “a unique global experience” that will allow visitors “to immerse themselves in all things Messi”. The park will utilise virtual and augmented reality

Los Angeles FC, the Major League Soccer (MLS) franchise co-owned by Hollywood actor Will Ferrell, has unveiled plans to spend US$30m (£23.5m, €26.8m) on a new training facility. The facility will be built on the campus of California State University, and will be the third most expensive in MLS history following the US$60m (£46.9m, €53.6m) investments made my Atlanta United and Real Salt Lake in their respective training centres. Designed

Work is underway on a vast new riverside sports park in Cork, Ireland, which will surround the city’s regenerated Páirc Uí Chaoimh Gaelic games stadium. Demolition has begun to clear space for phase one of Marina Park – a €20m development created around the stadium and the adjoining agricultural Munster Showgrounds. The phase one masterplan published by the city council is focused on the area to the west of the

Danish practice AART Architects have won an international design competition to create Denmark’s Rowing Stadium; a new venue for both the public and elite athletes that will be situated on Bagsværd Lake, outside of Copenhagen. The concept behind the studio’s winning design – which will be surrounded by water and forest on all sides – is that the “classical disciplines of rowing intersect with other forms of leisure.” “It is

Representatives of footballing icon David Beckham have unveiled the latest version of the stadium the former England captain wants to build as a home for his new franchise in Miami, Florida. Tim Leiweke, one of the investors behind Miami Beckham United, spoke to local politicians and residents at a Town Hall meeting last Wednesday (17 May) in Overtown, the neighbourhood where Beckham wants to locate the stadium. According to the

The first host venue of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar has been completed, five years ahead of the tournament. The Khalifa International Stadium, first built in 1976, has been extensively renovated and expanded by local architecture firm Dar Al-Handasah to hold 40,000 spectators. It will host matches until the quarter-finals of the 2022 tournament. The ground has been installed with a technologically advanced cooling system, which the organising

A 13m (43ft) bird of prey has found a perch front of the new US$1.5bn (€1.3bn, £1.1bn) home of NFL franchise the Atlanta Falcons. The statue, which represents the team’s signature falcon, is the biggest bird representation in the world and the biggest sculpture ever created by Hungarian artist Gabor Miklos Szoke. It’s wingspan is 20m (66ft) long and it weighs 73,000 pounds (33 tonnes). Millions of people will enter

Plans to create a US$75m museum in Colorado Springs dedicated to the Olympic movement have moved a step closer to becoming a reality, with the final pieces of essential funding reportedly now in place for the project. According to the Colorado Springs Gazette the US Olympic Museum could break ground in the next few months after the city’s Urban Renewal Authority agreed to issue bonds partly financing construction. The decision

A major sports city district with a striking riverside stadium at its heart will be built in Rotterdam, after the city council approved the project following a public meeting yesterday (11 May). Designed by architecture studio OMA, the development will include a new intricately clad 63,000 seat stadium for Dutch Eredivisie club Feyenoord Rotterdam, located on the River Maas. At the core of the masterplan is The Strip, an 800m

A hotel, residential apartments and a training academy have been incorporated into Southend United FC’s proposal to build a 22,000-capacity stadium development. The Populous-designed structure will see the hotel and apartments integrated into the stadium, with a number of the latter built along the stadium roofscape. Training academy facilities will be be flanked by community pitches. A full-sized covered pitch and “elite player accommodation” have also been earmarked for the

The stadium being built for Tottenham Hotspur FC – which will be one of the largest in the UK – could be used to host eSports matches and events, according to the club’s executive director. Donna Cullen said that while the Premier League team would not currently consider launching an eSports franchise to compete, she did see an opportunity for the 61,000-capacity venue to host high-profile virtual reality sporting events.

Sports architecture practice Populous have completed the redevelopment of the Warner Stand at the world famous Lord’s Cricket Ground in London. Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), the owner of the ground, tasked the architects with designing a stand that delivers an enhanced spectator experience, hosts significantly upgraded facilities and “ensures Lord’s retains its competitive advantage as the premier and most prestigious ground in the world to play and watch international cricket.”

The committee hoping to bring the Olympic Games to Los Angeles in 2024 has released new renderings of Valley Sports Park – the district that would host several events at the tournament if the city’s bid is successful. In keeping with LA’s sustainability-first and low-risk pitch for the Games, the Valley Sports Park is comprised of temporary facilities combined with existing venues, both set against a backdrop of the Santa

Architecture studio Allied Works have drafted plans for an ambitious US$50m (£38.6m, €45.7m) upgrade for the stadium belonging to Major League Soccer (MLS) franchise the Portland Timbers. The privately financed project would see the capacity of Providence Park expanded by 4,000 and would add a 93-foot high covered structure to the east side of the stadium. Four new levels will be added to the expanded east side – three of

The government of Canada and Quebec municipality have each pledged to invest US$4.4m (€4m, £3.4m) for the construction of a large-scale aqua-gym complex in the town of Dolbeau-Mistassini, the government of which will fund the same amount. The facility will feature nn indoor waterpark, including a shallow pool, slides and water games; a six-corridor pool; two diving areas; a sauna; two mezzanines; and a gymnasium. "Cultural and recreational infrastructure helps

South Korean architecture studio Heerim Architects and Planners are reportedly in line to design Qatar’s 40,000-capacity Fifth Precinct Stadium, which will host matches up to the quarter-final stage at the 2022 FIFA World Cup. According to Reuters, the practice said in a stock exchange statement on Tuesday (25 April) that it has agreed a US$16.2m (€14.8m, £12.6m) design and engineering services contract for the project. A joint venture of Qatar’s