Skovens Arena – construction description

The construction of a modern football arena in Aarhus, Denmark’s second-largest city, was made possible by a private donation which, even after a significant increase in costs, still covers more than half of the funds required for the project.

The plan calls for the demolition of the over 100-year-old Aarhus Stadion (known as Ceres Park since 2015) and the construction of an entirely new venue on the same site. Renowned architectural studios from around the world competed to design the stadium, with the winning concept created by the British firm Zaha Hadid Architects in cooperation with local partners Sweco and Tredje Natur.

The project is inspired by the forested surroundings of the stadium. Its distinctive feature will be a unique façade composed of tilted reinforced-concrete columns combined with decorative wooden slats. The redevelopment will preserve two sports halls from the old stadium, which used to adjoin the main stand.

Preliminary work related to the project began in November 2023. In early 2024 the main stand was demolished, followed by the remaining structures the next year. Since then, AGF has been playing its matches at a temporary stadium. Completion of the new venue is scheduled for March 2027.

More details about the Skovens Arena project can be found on a separate subpage