Most major stadiums are now designed to stage various events as a part of their business plans. Stadium developments can’t usually depend on 12 to 15 major games or matches per year and still expect to be economically viable.
Because of this, stadium designs – especially Populous designs – take into account the elements of flexibility and infrastructure which will support future events such as concerts, alternative sports, and various exhibition shows. We also evaluate the internal spaces which support artists, such as tunnels for wheeling the shows onto the center field, PowerPoints for extravaganzas, rigging points for overhead requirements including décor, display, or lighting, as well as audio and video board features.
We design for flexibility. If we’re designing an American football stadium, we make sure the entranceways can convert to larger openings for big displays, and can be made smaller to provide more seating when space is not needed.
Naturally, trends change over time, so it’s not always possible or sensible to design the stadium for just a few specific types of shows or events. This is where we’re able to use our knowledge of the different events, as we’ve worked with them at dozens of Super Bowls, World Cups, Olympic Games and the like, to anticipate what the future might hold.
It’s also true that there are successful designs established for singular spectacular events. In particular, the opening and closing ceremonies for the Olympic Games, the FIFA World Cup, the Rugby and Cricket World Cups, and the Asian and Commonwealth Games have required us to design major elements of the stadium hand-in-hand with the show elements. These design features are carefully considered, not only for the shows themselves but also for the legacy of the stadium and how it is used and embraced in the future; this process has shaped many of our main stadium designs.