Foster will remodel the famous Camp Nou stadium, increasing capacity by 10,000.
The design features an exterior decorated with multi-coloured, scale-like tiles.
Identity: The roof and the external façade
The architectural proposal described here places a strong emphasis on giving the stadium a vital and distinctive presence within the urban fabric it is situated.
The stadium will become well known not just for its distinctive appearance from within its seating bowl but also its dramatic new external architecture.
The design of the stadium’s exterior façade will allow for the stadium to transform itself between day and night and also between non-match days and match days.
The stadium’s volume is enveloped within a mosaic veil of coloured tiles. The tiles are a mixture of coloured polycarbonate panels and coloured glass panels. These give the stadium a distinctive outer skin which will make a visual matrix of colour, shade and reflections.
At night the stadium will be energized by lights built into the façade to become a beacon to attract fans and respond to the excitement of the match itself. This appearance can be expected to place the stadium as a “must-see” venue for both football fans and architecture admirers who visit the city of Barcelona. It should be expected that the external image of the stadium will become a recognized brand for FCB.
Side Enclosure
The mosaic screen wrapping around he sides of the stadium is composed of an array of coloured polycarbonate panel tiles which embody the colours of FC Barcelona. The panels are fixed to a diagrid cable net which is tensioned between the roof level above he seating bowl and the ground. The accumulated effect of the screen will provide rain protection to the naturally ventilated spaces within the stadium including the public concourse areas.
From outside the stadium the mosaic tiles will create a vibrant effect of colours and reflections. From inside the stadium the tiles will filter the different components of the club colours into the various internal spaces.
External Facade Animated Lighting Effect
Integrated within the coloured tiles of the side enclosure are special lighting elements which mean that the entire external façade can be used for animated lighting displays. The entire stadium enclosure will work as a giant screen which can project moving full-colour images to the stadium surround. Such images can range from low-key ambient displays to vibrant and more detailed displays on event-nights.
The roof
The roof over the stadium carries an extension of the stadium’s external mosaic over the stadium seating bowl. The colours of the Club will also be seen in the soffit of the roof. The density of the colours reduces towards the inside edge of the roof where it blends into the sky. The roof enclosure is a lightweight translucent enclosure composed of coloured polycarbonate panels fixed to the top surface of the cable net structure.
Visually, the roof provides an architecturally lightweight presence above to the stadium. The roof is supported by an efficient two-way pre-stressed cable net system spanning across the large dimensions of the Camp Nou’s seating bowl.
