Arena da Amazônia

This stadium design was based on the idea of creating a simple but highly efficient stadium which also makes reference to the special location, to the fascination and natural diversity of forms in the tropical rainforest.

Designed for 44,400 spectators, the stadium is located at the central traffic axis that links the airport with the inner city. The new building was integrated into a sports park with Sambadrome, field and track facilities, multi-purpose halls and an aquatic center.

The project was developed in cooperation with the gmp partner practice Stadia and the structural engineers Schlaich Bergermann und Partner.

Making best use of the topography with its gentle slope in the terrain, the stadium has been placed on a base which provides space for VIP access, the media, the players and parking spaces. A ring including spectator boxes, offices and a restaurant separates the upper tier from the lower tier, which is recessed in the base. The roof structure is composed of mutually bracing cantilever elements in the form of hollow steel box girders which also serve as large gutters for the discharge of the enormous quantities of water expected during tropical rain events.

In view of the hot and humid climate at the Amazon, the roof extends into a facade which provides shade to the spectator balconies and vertical access routes. The roof and facade panels consist of translucent glass fiber fabric. The Arena da Amazônia is one of the world’s first stadiums to be certified under the LEED scheme administered by the US Green Building Council.

Arena da Amazônia, Manaus, Brazil
Program: stadium
Design: gmp Architekten (Volkwin Marg and Hubert Nienhoff with Martin Glass)
Project management: Martin Glass, Maike Carlsen
Project management, Brazil: Burkhard Pick, Sander-Christiaan Troost
Director of gmp do Brazil: Ralf Amann
Team members: Sophie-Charlotte Altrock, Felipe Bellani, Lena Brögger, Claudia Chiappini, Lieselotte Decker, Barbara Düring, Stephanie Eichelmann, Konstanze Erbe, Silke Flaßnöcker, Priscila Lima da Silva Giersdorf, Elke Glass, Ruthie Gould, Jacqueline Gregorius, Claudio Aceituno Husch, Fabian Kirchner, Juliana Kleba-Rizental, Jochen Köhn, Martin Krebes, Helge Lezius, Veit Lieneweg, Ausias Lobatón Ortega, Guilherme Maia, Rodrigo Mathias Duro Teixeira, Lucia Martinez Rodriguez, Adel Motamedi , Dirk Müller, Dirk Peissl, Ivanka Percovic, Camila Preve, Nicolai Reich, Stefan Saß, Florian Schwarthoff, Fariborz Rahimi, Sara Taberner Bonastre, Sonia Taborda, Anguelica Larocca Troost, Katerine Witte
In cooperation with: Schlaich Bergermann and partners; Stadia
Structural design: schlaich bergermann and partners – Knut Göppert with Knut Stockhusen and Miriam Sayeg
Team members: Tiago Carvalho, Uli Dillmann, Andreas Eisele, Florian Geiger, Alberto Goosen, Sebastian Grotz, Jochen Gugeler, Achim Holl, Roman Kemmler, Hubert Kunz, Sandra Küstner, Walter Paganucci, Jana Pavlovic, Bernd Ruhnke, Guilherme Sayeg, Tilman Schober, Alexander Stäblein, Alfred Strasdeit, Kai Zweigart
Structural design of solid construction in cooperation with: EGT; Larenge; Ruy Bentes
Services engineering:  b.i.g. Bechtold Ingenieurgesellschaft mbH; (scheme design phase), mha; Teknika Projetos e Consultoria ltda; Soeng Construção hidroelétrica ltda; Bosco & Associados ltda; Loudness Sonorização Ltda
Landscape design: St raum a (scheme design phase), Interact
Completion: 2014