The new Bordeaux Stadium is an expression of a fundamentally new architecture. The pure shape of the volume, by contrast to its light and open structure, creates an at once monumental and graceful architectural piece suited to the landscape of Bordeaux. The stadium architecture combines three constitutive elements: the bowl containing the game and its spectators, the concourse as the transitional element between the field and the surroundings and, finally, the overall appearance. These three elements are reinterpreted with regard to the site-specific characteristics.

The aim is to present an architectural object in which highest functional quality is combined with a unique identity. Allying these two criteria, functionality and strong identity, endows the project with an emotional dimension that the public can feel, and that is inextricably bound to the stadium’s traditional role of staging sports.Seating a maximum of some 43,000 persons, the bowl embraces the game area, its geometry affording optimal visibility for all. The bowl consists of two superposed tiers divided into four sectors and protected from the elements by the roof. Consisting of a multitude of concentric strips, the ceiling’s homogeneous appearance guides the gaze to the playing field, while allowing sunlight to seep through due to the strips’ sloping angle. This open ceiling structure does not show through on the inside of the stadium, to avoid distracting the spectators’ attention.

Raising the bowl above ground level is a compact base integrating all the programmatic functions into a uniform and symmetrical volume. This plinth includes the VIP lounges as well as media areas adjacent to the spaces dedicated to players. The simplicity and pure lines of the architecture characterizing the bowl and its base guarantee a smooth flow of spectators and easy orientation.

The bowl resting on its base is covered by an elegant roof which has an unusual rectangular shape, projected earthwards thanks to the multiplicity of slender columns that shower down. The choice of this pure form is the clearest and most efficient response to the site’s natural conditions, and to the main flow of spectators east-west. A ribbon of food stalls and restrooms undulates through this forest of columns, brought alive by the movement of the crowd. At once dense and light, this structure creates an evanescent rectangular volume from which emerges the sculpted and organic outline of the bowl.