Stadium

London 2012 Olympic Stadium.

A stadium (stadia or stadiums) is a large venue in which sports can be played and watched, with perimeter terraces that allow the crowd to stand or sit with sight lines allowing them to see the playing surface. Stadiums may also be used for concerts or other large-scale events.

The word ‘Stadium’ is derived from the Greek ‘stadion’, the measure of length used for the original race at the ancient Greek Olympic festival.

Whilst relatively simple in their overall form, stadiums tend to be prestigious buildings that attract high-quality designs. They also require significant infrastructure to allow the crowd to travel to and from the event, to eat, buy merchandise and so on. Modern stadiums have increasingly strict security and safety arrangements following a number of high-profile disasters and a history of violence, particularly at football matches.

Stadiums have generally provided some form of shelter for the crowd, and more recently some stadiums have been completely enclosed, or have had retractable roofs.

Articles on Designing Buildings Wiki about stadiums include:

• Al Thumama Stadium, Qatar.
• Beijing National Stadium.
• Birds nest stadium.
• FC Twente stadium roof collapse.
• Forest Green Rovers football stadium.
• Las Vegas NFL stadium.
• London 2012 Olympic Stadium.
• Maracanã Stadium.
• Olympic Stadium, Montreal.
• Stamford Bridge stadium.
• Wembley Stadium.

[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings Wiki

• CIBSE Case Study London Olympic Aquatics Centre.
• CIBSE Case Study London Olympic Park Energy Centre.
• CIBSE Case Study Olympic Velodrome.
• Colosseum.
• Dome.
• Fabric structures.
• Frei Otto.
• Millennium Dome.
• Types of building.
• Wembley Arena.
• Wembley Park.