Sydney Football Stadium – design description

On October 5, 2018 the very last event at Allianz Stadium (Sydney Football Stadium) took place. Just a week later the official design of its successor was revealed. It so happened that both the old and new stadium are designed by Cox Architecture, the office established by Philip Cox and involved in majority of large and modern stadium projects across Australia.

The new 'rectangular' stadium would not exceed the capacity of old Sydney Football Stadium, staying within the margin of 45,000. However, each seat is wider, each row provides more legroom, while the entire seating bowl is steeper and divided into three tiers (along sides) instead of maximum two at the old stadium.

Along with much expanded floor space, the stadium is thus much larger than its predecessor, also providing far more toilets, more efficient catering facilities, as well as extensive hospitality.

The stadium's most distinctive feature is its roof. Created with light, parametric frame it looks almost like a white cloud by day, while at night it should change colours to mimic the pulsing atmosphere inside. The canopy will extend beyond front row which, together with its incline, should provide sufficient cover from wind and rain.

The facades will see a division into zones. Just above the glass entrance a LED strip is planned around the stadium, topped by metallic bronze blinds. These should create a dynamic impression of fluency, while also opening the internal concourses to natural ventilation at the same. On top of it all the cloud-like roof and, in openings of the upper concourses, landscaping to make the stadium blend with its green surroundings more.