Luzhniki stadium – moscow

The stadium hosted the opening match and the final was played here. A symbol of moscow’s architectural heritage, it was formerly known as the central lenin stadium, built in 1956. The reconstruction of luzhniki stadium, designed by local architectural design studios speech and mosinzhproekt, reflects a monumental style and pays homage to the characteristics of the original layout. The current luzhniki stadium has retained its original façade and upgraded the interior. The rows of seats have been completely redecorated. As with the original design, the spiral layout makes a clean and impressive impression. Seats are arranged in a circular pattern around the stadium, creating a strong, close-knit team atmosphere for the spectators.

The neoclassical shape, with a series of columns set vertically on a continuous outer façade, is nearly eight stories high. Between the two successive columns are three groups of narrow windows. Around the original façade, new colonnades were built to not only support the new stadium roof structure, but also to maintain unity with the character of the original façade. The low, arched openings on the ground floor serve as entrances, demonstrating the practicality of the old arena. The roof canopy has been extended by 11 metres to ensure complete coverage of the seating area, and a circular walkway of 900m in circumference has been constructed on top of the seating area to provide an excellent view of the city from the stadium. The ribbon is decorated with images of the various fields of competition, highlighting the use of the stadium and sports facilities. The statue of lenin still stands in front of the entrance to the stadium, surveying the spectators on their way to the game.

Otkrytie arena – moscow

Completed in 2014, the stadium was designed by aecom’s russian project team (aecom is involved in several sports projects, such as the mercedes-benz stadium in atlanta), with co-designers london-based sports concept architecture and dexter moran design associates. It is not only the second largest stadium in russia, but also has a multifunctional structure. It is designed with a mesh substructure, with the façade anchored by a “Shell” Of approximately 600 red and white translucent diamond-shaped glass panels, inspired by the logo of the professional general-purpose club spartak moscow, which originally commissioned the construction of the stadium. Along the curve of the stadium along the typical traditional russian dome, a façade is laid. Two levels of bleachers surround the pitch, with bright red seats in between. The cladding overhangs the back rows of the stands, with a white mesh structure on the four inner edges contrasting with the compact arrangement of the seats below it. The top structure is lightweight, but at the same time has excellent load-bearing capacity. The stadium has one of the deepest underground cable grids in europe, so the design level ensures a stadium atmosphere during matches, thanks to the very close proximity of the stands to the edge of the turf field. Similar to the allianz arena in munich, the stadium’s perimeter can be illuminated in white and red, the symbols of spartak, and white, red and blue, the symbols of russia. After the world cup, the tušino area around the stadium will be developed for residential purposes.

Saint petersburg stadium – st. Petersburg

This futuristic stadium, also known as the zenith, is the embodiment of avant-garde stadiums. Completed in 2017, the st. Petersburg stadium cost €1 billion to build, making it almost the most expensive stadium ever built. Designed by the late japanese architect kisho kurokawa (1934-2007), it expresses a concept of integration into the surrounding landscape – thanks to the ‘tree’ structural elements that support the spectacular roof structure above the terraced stands. The stadium was designed to be multifunctional, designed to host major sporting events, and is part of the urban layout of the whole of krestovsky island, including a landscape and transport system that can be viewed and used by residents at all times. In addition, the stadium incorporates state-of-the-art ecologically sustainable and environmentally friendly technology, which is itself a marvel of advanced technology. The facilities include a system for moving the pitch outwards (in order to keep the turf intact at all times of the year) and an open top structure with a hot air inflatable membrane (which melts the snow in winter and ensures that the structure can be used in all weather conditions).

Baltika arena – kaliningrad  

The stadium was designed by paris-based wilmotte & associés and was inspired by the allianz arena in bavaria. After 2018, the upper floors will be demolished and the top will be lowered to increase its versatility. The project is the top priority of the new urban renewal plan for the island of oktyabrsky, which is also managed by wilmotte & associés in paris. In the future, a network of canals will be built to bring a distinct identity to this part of the city, in addition to providing new vegetation, an artificial lake, a marina for 100 boats, and new residential and commercial facilities.

Kazan arena – kazan

The kazanka arena is a multi-purpose structure (which hosted the world swimming championships in 2015) and was designed by the internationally renowned populous studio (which has designed london’s wembley stadium and emirates stadium). Located between the banks of the kazanka river, it features a sinuous water lily shaped stadium roof and opened to the public in 2013. The stadium also boasts europe’s largest 4,000 square metre multimedia screen, including a high definition screen on one side of the stadium.

Nižnij novgorod stadium – nizhny novgorod

This is a facility that has just been completed by the russian engineering firm oao stroytransgaz (which built the volgograd stadium). The stadium faces the historic city center and citadel (the novgorod kremlin), which was designed by italian architect piero francesco in the 5th century ad. Its independent position emphasizes its value in the urban fabric. The stadium, located at the confluence of the volga and oka rivers, is situated on an area of about 40 hectares with no other buildings around it, in contrast to the cathedral building (designed by aleksandr nevskij) on the river bank less than 500 meters away. The yellow ochre of the orthodox cathedral and its eclectic shapes, which blend neo-classical and neo-gothic with baroque, are contrasted and contrasted with the white and blue of the columns outside the stadium, broken up by the slender triangular columns that support the flat, disc-shaped stadium roof.

The 88 concrete columns surrounding the building form a vertical colonnade reminiscent of classical architecture that wraps around the stadium and rises upward from the pier wall, providing access to the interior of the stands. The immobility of the exterior of the body contrasts with the athletic theme of the stadium’s center. The arena seating area forms an internal block, protected and separated by external columns. The steps from the front open space to the podium create a gentle vortex effect, set off by the blue internal ramp leading directly to the grandstand. The diagonal effect of these interactions and the lining between the external vertical columns enhance the strength of the building. The flowing waters of the volga are also accentuated by the translucent white and blue sail-like structure, which screens the void in the upper part of the stadium, between the second tier of seating and the roof of the stadium. The second tier of seating finishes with a general sinusoidal profile, thus optimizing the views from each seat. The interior of the stadium is blue, while the exterior is white, which highlights the stadium’s character. The entrance walls of each section and all service areas (such as stairs and elevators) are marked in blue, while the seats are painted in light and bright blue with varying shades of light and dark. The flat plate at the top of the stadium has an open oval circular hole in the centre decorated with blue and light blue translucent polycarbonate panels, visible from both sides. The top structure is supported by interwoven mesh steel beams with a total weight of 10,000 tons and an entire roof area of over 57,000 square meters.

Samara arena  – samara  

The stadium, designed by gus so terrniigrazhdanproekt studio, was recently completed and its “Ufo” Shape (a 3d surface formed by spiraling around one of its main axes) expresses the connection between the region and the russian space program. That’s why the stadium is also known as the cosmic arena. It is a classic domed stadium, with a distinctive shell shape. The magnificent dome structure was originally designed to be semi-transparent; the original design featured illuminated cross-mesh support beams to enhance the spectacle and convey the unique appeal of aerospace technology. However, the final design uses a continuous steel structure that covers the entire court, eventually extending to the ground to form a series of inverted triangles, giving the impression that the court will “Take off” At any moment. The maximum height of the stadium is 60 meters, with the maximum height point located at the center of the dome, where there is a circular hole for light. The interior of the stadium has a classic rectangular layout around the playing surface, almost independent of the external dome that wraps around it like a glass bell jar. The undulating contours of its interior reflect the style of a contemporary stadium. The sine wave profile peaks at the center of the stands and then drops around the corner, meaning that all seats are never too far from the field. The curves are not continuous, but rather jagged, with a series of “Points” That fold over the outer triangles, eventually extending the dome to the ground. The exterior and interior structures complement each other, adding to the sense of presence within the stadium, despite their different shapes. There are currently plans for a residential area around the stadium.

Volgograd arena – volgograd  

This new multi-use facility on the site of the former central stadium was designed by federal state unitary enterprise sport-engineering and officially opened in the spring of 2018. It features a large white and blue diagonal stadium roof that resembles a bicycle supported by high-strength wire ropes. The structure of the façade has exposed trusses that cone and narrow as they approach the ground, fulfilling the requirement to keep the surface area to a minimum.

Mordovija arena – saransk  

With an avant-garde structure designed by russian saranskgrazhdanproekt, the stadium was destined from its inception to become the largest sports and entertainment centre in the region. The design concept is based on the image of the sun, inspired by the myths and legends of the moldovan people. The terrace stands are built on a two-storey base, while a raised ovoid shell covered with orange, red and white perforated metal plates forms a kind of canopy above the terrace stands, paying homage to the distinctive colours used in local arts and crafts.

Rostov arena – rostov-on-don  

The populous-designed stadium, completed in late 2017, features an irregularly shaped stadium roof and supporting structures designed to mirror the adjacent meandering river. It was inspired by traditional ancient russian mounds or graves, the latter of which characterize this particular area. The completion of the stadium is the first major refurbishment of the south bank of the don river and will be the focal point for investment and new development in this part of the city. Some of the seats in the stadium are temporary and will be removed after the world cup ends.

Fišt stadium – sochi

This ambitious stadium was designed by populous studio and was used to host the 2014 olympic and paralympic winter games. The stadium underwent some renovations prior to the world cup, but retained its signature shell design (inspired by the fabergé egg), reminiscent of snow-capped mountains. The roof of the stadium is supported by a mesh of beams, including a continuous glass surface that reflects the sunlight from the sea. The roof has openings to the north and south, with direct views of the mountain peaks to the north and the black sea to the south.

Ekaterinburg arena – ekaterinburg  

Originally built in 1953 in the only city east of the ural mountains, the stadium’s main feature is its neo-classical soviet-style façade. For the world cup, the stadium was upgraded with the construction of additional stands, but these temporary stands will be removed after the world cup. The two temporary structures stand out for their prominence from the stadium and appear to be refreshingly independent of it.

If you’re interested in sports stadiums or the construction of sports arenas, check out more of our blog – Sports Arena