HOK – the architects chosen to design FC Barcelona’s new Palau Blaugrana arena – have swooped in to hire former Populous associate principal Algen Williams. Williams has joined the Kansas City-based studio as leader of sports, recreation and entertainment where he will oversee the Barcelona design and have a role in other projects, including the Rogers Place hockey arena in Edmonton, Canada and the Atlanta Falcons’ Mercedes-Benz Stadium. During his

Construction is nearing completion of the new Grandstand Stadium in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park, New York, ahead of the US Open in late August. Architects Rossetti have designed the 125,000sq ft (11,600sq m) facility, which will have 8,000 seats, 2,000 more than the old version. The lower bowl is recessed into the earth to create a strong match-day atmosphere and to boost player-fan interaction. The new stadium's exterior features a translucent

France’s rugby federation has reached an agreement with contractor Ibelys to begin building a new 82,000-capacity home for the sport in Paris. The planned stadium, designed by Populous, will form the heart of a new leisure district planned for the French capital. In addition to hosting all French national team home matches, the multi-purpose stadium will also accommodate conventions, shows and other sporting events. The capacity can be extended to

The new home of American National Football League (NFL) franchise the Minnesota Vikings has been completed six weeks ahead of schedule in Minneapolis. Contractor Mortenson Construction has symbolically handed over the keys to the U.S. Bank Stadium to the Vikings and the building’s owner, the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority (MSFA). Designed by HKS Architects, the 70,000-capacity stadium cost US$1.1bn (€974m, £749m) to build. The 1.75m sq ft (162,600sq m) structure

International architecture and design practice The NRA Collaborative have outlined their masterplan for a sweeping new entertainment district in Brisbane, Australia. The proposed precinct, called Brisbane Live, would create an area around the city’s Roma Street featuring entertainment venues, commercial buildings, hotels, residences, restaurants, a retail zone and 12 hectares of parkland. At the heart of the design is a 17,000-seat arena able to host a multitude of events from

Architecture studio Gensler have won the contract to design the interior of San Francisco’s Chase Center, which will be the new home of basketball franchise the Golden State Warriors. Gensler will work with MANICA Architecture – who are designing the exterior of the building – to work on all the public interior space, including concourses, clubs, suites, offices, locker rooms the team store and retail space. The architects have pedigree

Las Vegas’ US$375m (£264.7m, €333.1m) multi-purpose T-Mobile Arena, which opened in April, looks set to become the home of the latest National Hockey League (NHL) franchise. Reports in the US suggest the NHL has chosen the Nevada city over launching a franchise in Quebec, although the league’s board of governors will hold a formal vote on 22 June. The Populous-designed arena – described by its creators as "a diamond in

The organisers of Paris’s bid for the 2024 Olympic Games have unveiled plans to build a 15,000-capacity aquatics centre if the city’s application is successful. Located in the Saint-Denis region of Paris, the centre will house two 50m (165ft) swimming pools and two diving pools. Once the Games are over the capacity will be scaled down to 2,500. The aquatics centre will be the only facility that will need to

Cox Architecture will create a 3,000 capacity velodrome in Jakarta for the 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia. According to reports in Australia, where the studio have their headquarters, the project will cost AUS$51m (US$38m, €33.6m, £26.5m) and is set to be completed by June 2018. Engineering firm Motts MacDonald, Indonesian architects BKM and construction company Wika are all said to be involved. In order to ensure the quick construction time,

After plans were revealed at the end of last month to build a permanent home for World Rugby in the sport’s birthplace, Manchester-based design firm Mather and Co have been appointed to create the attraction in Warwickshire, UK. Billed as a “fully-interactive and immersive museum”, the Hall of Fame will be located within the town of Rugby’s art gallery, museum and library. Mather has a strong portfolio of sporting experiences,

Larsen & Toubro, the largest construction firm in India, has won the contract to build Qatar’s 2022 World Cup venue, the Al Rayyan Stadium. Construction of the 40,000-capacity arena will be delivered in a joint venture with Qatari contractor Al Balagh Trading & Contracting. The deal was announced by the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy (SC) – the organisers of the tournament. “This marks an important milestone in our

The £15m Crewe Lifestyle Centre, designed to be accessible for people with special needs and dementia, has been officially opened by the president of the International Paralympic Committee, Sir Philip Craven. The 7,800sq m (83,959sq ft) two-storey building is to serve as a central hub for the community of Crewe, UK, bringing together a range of different services under one roof. Architects Pozzoni were appointed by Cheshire East Council and

Twickenham – the home of English rugby – is embarking on a redevelopment plan which will see the transformation of its east stand. The work will double the available space on the east stand, creating an additional 10,750sq m (115,712sq ft) to facilitate improvements to existing hospitality areas. KSS Architects have been selected to modernise the exterior of the stand as part of the project, although the existing bowl infrastructure

Two yet-to-be-built stadiums have been selected to host the National Football League (NFL) Super Bowl in 2019 and 2021. In a move which appears to encourage the development of new infrastructure, NFL owners plumped for Atlanta Falcons’ HOK-designed Mercedes-Benz Stadium – which is due to open its doors in 2017 – for the 2019 edition of the flagship match. The 2021 Super Bowl will be contested at the future home

Texas Rangers – the Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise – has moved a step closer to building a new US$1bn (£680.1m, €894.2m) stadium after the council agreed a financing package for the development. Arlington City Council unanimously approved a master agreement in which the funds for the stadium would be split between the team and public finance. A public vote will now be held in November to ask residents if

With its mass appeal and ability to unite people worldwide, sport offers a powerful platform for demonstrating and communicating the importance of sustainability. That’s the view of Chris DeVolder, sustainable design leader at architecture firm HOK. In a column penned for the latest issue of CLADmag, DeVolder reflected on the changing nature of sports-oriented design, particularly with city centre sports developments returning to favour. “By establishing new paradigms for environmentally

English football club Forest Green Rovers has revealed nine stadium designs in the running to provide the blueprint for its new home ground. Almost 50 entries were received from architecture studios of various sizes around the world after an international architecture competition was launched in April. The competition brief called for a fan-focused and sustainable design in line with the club’s strong environmental principles. The nine shortlisted architects are: •

Five architecture practices have been shortlisted to design a major new leisure centre in Islington, north London. Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners, Grimshaw, Hawkins Brown, Pollard Thomas Edwards, and Henley Halebrown Rorrison were all successful in the first stage of a design competition – organised by Islington Council and the Royal Institute of British Architects – to replace the existing 1970s building for Finsbury Leisure Centre. The design ideas of

Tottenham Hotspur FC is floating the idea of incorporating youth seating areas and creches within its new stadium to appeal to a younger fan base. The Premier League club had planning permission approved for its £400m (US$579.6m, €508.4m), 61,000-capacity stadium approved in February this year. Talking at the Telegraph Business of Sport Conference 2016 Tottenham’s head of technology solutions Sanjeev Katwa and Christopher Lee of Populous said the stadium would

The world’s first fully air conditioned stadium has been given the go ahead by the ruler of Dubai, with architecture studio Perkins + Will working on the design of the project. Dubai Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum has approved the initial design of the 60,000 capacity Mohammed bin Rashid Stadium after reviewing the project last week. The ground will cost AED3bn (US$817m €717m, £565m) to construct and

The move to bring a second Major League Soccer (MLS) franchise to Los Angeles has made significant progress after the city council green lit plans for a US$250m (£173.1m, €219.6m) stadium complex for Los Angeles FC. LA City Council “unanimously approved” a final Environmental Impact Report for the development, which will include a 22,000-capacity stadium, restaurants, office space, a conference centre and a football museum. The local office of architectural

The developers of Rogers Place, a forthcoming multi-use arena and stadium for Canadian ice hockey franchise the Edmonton Oilers, have released new images showing construction progress. Work on the CA$600m (US$470m, €410m, £325m) venue – located in downtown Edmonton, Alberta – started in March 2014 and is scheduled to be finished in time for the start of the 2016-2017 National Hockey League (NHL) season in October. The new images, released

Detroit may become the next US city to enter a franchise into Major League Soccer (MLS) as part of a US$1bn (£685.2m, €866m) investment plan devised by two National Basketball Association (NBA) owners. Detroit Pistons owner Tom Gores and Cleveland Cavaliers boss Dan Gilbert announced plans to build a 20,000-seater stadium in the downtown area of the city. The development – which is being designed by architecture studio Rossetti –

A new £2m (US$2.9m, €2.6m) football centre which consists of 10 3G five-a-side pitches has been opened near the site of the old BBC Television Centre in Shepherds Bush. Designed by LK2 Architects, the 11,800sq m (127,014) Hammersmith Park Football Centre includes space to build more pitches, and a community-focused pavilion with a cafe, bar, changing rooms and space for a number of cycle racks. PlayFootball – the organisation which

Heatherwick Studio – the architects behind the London 2012 Olympic cauldron – have been commissioned by Fulham Football Club to design a new stand. Led by Thomas Heatherwick, the studio will take on the club’s Riverside Stand project – the stand adjacent to the River Thames – which will see the capacity of Fulham’s Craven Cottage ground increase to 30,000-seater. The project has also incorporated the development of a ‘Riverwalk’

National Football League (NFL) the San Diego Chargers has revealed its vision for a new multi-use stadium and convention facility as part of a campaign to receive public support for the scheme. The team is seeking a new home to replace its ageing Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California. Despite having a chance to relocate and share the future Los Angeles Rams stadium in LA’s Inglewood, the Chargers have prioritised

Spanish football giant FC Barcelona has revealed more details about its plans to revamp its iconic Camp Nou stadium, with a design by Japanese architecture studio Nikken Sekkei. The new design takes the famous open bowl designed by Francesc Mitjans in 1957 and reinterprets and inverts it, adding a new roof to the stadium but creating an open space around the ground, which will integrate with the club’s huge planned