Jakarta International Stadium – design description

How did plans to build a new stadium for Persija Jakarta come about?

The plan of building a new international-standard stadium in Jakarta dates back to the early 21st century. In the extremely dense urban fabric of the Indonesian capital there was only one venue meeting both domestic and international needs: Gelora Bung Karno (GBK). Because it became the default home of football side Persija (after the old Lebak Bulus got demolished), GBK often saw event dates clash with football games. And with Persija being able to draw immense crowds, the need for a new stadium was clear for years.

In 2012, the site was chosen and the concept, then named BMW Stadium (where BMW stands for the name of the park, not the car brand), was developed. It was envisaged that a stadium for 50,000 spectators would be built in close proximity to Lake Sunter, on Jakarta's northern ring road.

However, the project stalled, which, paradoxically, turned out to be a good thing. This is because a completely new plan was drawn up, in which the running track was scrapped from the stadium, and more than 30 000 seats and a retractable roof were added. The concept was developed by the same architectural firm (PDW Architects).

What are the characteristics of Jakarta International Stadium design?

The stadium has been targeted for completion in 2019. By far the most impressive thing about the new stadium is its scale. Don't confuse it with capacity, though. With 82,000 seats it's indeed a grand stadium but Gelora Bung Karno used to host over 100,000 people so Jakartans are used to this. However, the sheer volume of the new stadium is hard to imagine. GBK is 35 metres tall, while the new International Stadium rises to 73 metres!

The building's outline will thus dominate the landscape of North Jakarta, where not many tall buildings are based. Interestingly, the stadium will make use of this as an advantage, offering a 360-degree sky view deck on top, giving visitors a panorama of the city and a view of the sea in the north.

Exterior of the stadium will be clad with aluminium composite panels. Each of them will be perforated and the pattern of perforations are said to be inspired by the symbols in Persija's crest and tiger's stripes. Thanks to these openings, the stadium's interior will be properly ventilated, while also allowing LED illumination to bring the stadium to life after dusk.

A total of 9 floors with facilities were planned behind the facade. In order to make the most of available space, perimeter fencing was dropped entirely, leaving the ground floor for commercial spaces and internal stadium parking (800 cars and 100 buses). Because the stadium is planned on wetland, building underground levels for such use was ruled out.

When was Jakarta International Stadium built?

You can read more details about the construction on our Jakarta International Stadium construction page

The price (around 4.5 trillion Indonesian rupiah), as Indonesian stadiums are accustomed to, is very budget-friendly, especially considering the size of the venue. All of it is expected to come from the Jakarta Provincial Government. Formally, construction started in April 2019, but the first months were spent clearing the site and laborious piling, as there were several thousand piles to be driven over an area of almost 4 hectares.

The facility was due to be handed over at the end of 2021, although there was a slight delay in construction. The so-called 'soft opening' (on the occasion of a youth football tournament) was made in April 2022, while the 'grand opening' of Jakarta International Stadium took place on July 24, 2022.