There are fewer projects that can turn heads like a large sports arena. The recent projects at Jacksonville State are excellent local examples of this, as well as nationally known venues like AT&T Stadium in Dallas and the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Designed to house thousands of fans and host important athletic events, sports stadiums are a big deal in the field of commercial architecture. The sub-field of sports architecture has driven up interest in building design.

The scope and risks of sports field projects have everyone from investors to corporations to franchise owners interested in architecture and what it can do for sports facilities. Considering the way these
locations have changed over the past few decades, sports architecture has people excited about where buildings will go in the future.

Why Sports Architecture Draws Attention

Design feats in the areas of civic and commercial architecture can grab the attention of the public for many reasons. The large size of these locations may top existing records or set new precedents for a given area.

The amenities a sports facility includes can also be noteworthy. Designing a facility to include many different areas is complicated, and architects who pull it off raise the bar for what sports architecture
can offer.

A Dutch-based firm was recently hired to design a top-notch sports facility in Shenzhen, China. The facility has four different zones, each connected with tracks and footpaths. With a total area of over 1.1
million square feet, the facility is an example of just how massive sports architecture projects can be.

Why Are Large and Expensive Projects the Norm?

Compared to facilities in the 70s or 80s, most modern sports arenas are larger and built for a wider variety of sports.

Corporations, universities, or municipalities usually own sports facilities. These massive groups have plenty of investors, stakeholders, and resources to back these projects, meaning sports architecture
often pushes forward in areas that even commercial architecture rarely reaches.

While most commercial architecture deals with setting up buildings to sell a product, the product for sports arenas is the athletic events they host and the experiences they deliver to the attendees. Popular
teams mean big crowds and big money. Given that sports facilities have come so far, it is interesting to consider the changes they’ve gone through.

What Might Future Facilities Look Like?

It’s expected that sports facilities of the future will be larger, and many may utilize multiple connected areas like the one in Shenzhen. Facilities may also be designed to cater to larger areas, and to host
different types of sports.

Expansion and variety are the themes of sports architecture in the future. Areas take great pride in having sports facilities, and the design-based accomplishments of architects have made modern stadiums an impressive site.

Future sports stadiums may also utilize environmentally friendly and safer materials. Since large organizations usually fund these facilities, eco-friendly building materials will likely become a mainstay.

Given the large amount of risk associated with these buildings when compared to other structures, safety is a top priority for architects working on future projects.

Large and expansive sports facilities have done a lot for communities and for sporting events – but perhaps their most impressive feat is the interest they’ve generated in architecture.