TOP-8 buildings of antiquity: amphitheaters of Ancient Rome and ultra-modern sports arenas

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

Since ancient times, the stadium has been a place of worship for sports fans. From the original buildings of antiquity, they have turned into the most impressive objects of engineering and design, where arenas not only host sports, they become the main venue for grand concerts and cultural events.

1. The Flavian Amphitheater or Colosseum (72-80 AD)

The Flavian Amphitheater, better known as the Colosseum, is one of the most famous and grandiose sports facilities of the Ancient World that have survived to this day. Its gigantic dimensions impress even contemporaries, and for the inhabitants of Ancient Rome at the beginning of the 1st millennium, they were absolutely breathtaking. To accommodate 50 thousand spectators, a grandiose object had to be built, the length of which reached 188 m and a width of 86 m, and the height of the walls with stands reached 50 m. In order to hold such a powerful structure, the foundation had to be made 13 meters deep.

And the most interesting thing is that the architects and mathematicians calculated the structure of the amphitheater so competently that even modern builders could not come up with anything new, especially with regard to the organization of entrances / exits and the order of placement of spectator seats. During the creation of the Colosseum, 80 entrances / exits were envisaged, which allowed the public to fill the amphitheater to capacity in 15 minutes, and leave - in just 5!

Interesting:Initially, the Flavian Amphitheater had a complex mast structure, created on the fourth floor, which made it possible to pull out and remove a large awning made of bovine skins, which protected spectators from the scorching rays of the sun.

2. Panathinaikos Stadium in Athens (329 BC, rebuilt in 1896)

The history of the modern Olympic Games began at the horseshoe-shaped Panathenaic Stadium. That sports facility, which we can see now, was created for the opening of the first modern Olympic Games in 1896, but its history began in 529 BC. BC, it was then that the stadium hosted the first competitions and acted as an arena for entertainment events. Until 329 BC e. the stadium was equipped with ordinary wooden benches, but thanks to the efforts of the public figure Lycurgus, they were replaced with stone ones.

Over time, in the years 139-144, Herodes Atticus initiated a significant expansion and complete renovation of the arena. During this period, the stadium acquired the shape of an elongated horseshoe, and 50 thousand marble seats were installed on it. Despite its venerable age, the sports arena is still actively used and not only as a tourist attraction. The stadium hosts grandiose concerts (there are excellent acoustics), various kinds of competitions are held and even during the Athens Olympics in 2004 it was used as a sports arena.

3. Floating stadium in Singapore (2006-2007)

The most unusual stadium in the world is located on a platform in Marina Bay. Its impressive (as for a floating structure) dimensions have been impressive for over 10 years. The length of the floating steel platform reaches 120 m with a width of 83 m and is designed for a weight of more than 1,000 tons. Such parameters make it possible to keep the structure not only afloat, but also to take first place in the ranking of the largest floating arenas in the world. Naturally, only the sports ground itself is located on the surface of the water, but places for 30 thousand spectators are located on the shore of the bay.

This unusual sports facility becomes not only a field for competitions, but also an excellent stage for various concerts and cultural events of the city.

Note from Novate. Ru: During the first Summer Olympic Games among junior athletes (ages 14-18) in 2010, the opening and closing ceremonies of the Games were held at the Singapore Floating Stadium.

4. Olympic Stadium in Montreal (Canada, 1976)

The construction of the stadium (Finale Royale Arena) in Montreal was timed to coincide with the 1976 Olympic Games. The new sports arena was supposed to surprise with its incredible design and fantastic engineering solution - a retractable roof. If the first task was completed 100%, then the roof turned out to be an incident - they did not have time to do it.

However, its construction and design is impressive even after 40 years, especially the 175 m high tower, which houses an observation deck with panoramic views of the cityscape. This structural element is angled and is considered the largest leaning tower in the world.

5. Wembley Stadium in London (1923, complete renovation 1996-2007)

Wembley Stadium was built in London (UK) in 1923, but by the end of the century it became necessary to completely renovate it. For 6 years we have been creating projects until, in the end, they decided to demolish it and build a completely new sports arena on this site. Thanks to this, in 2007 the world saw a fantastic stadium, on the construction of which more than $ 1.4 billion were spent.

The main highlight of the project was a lattice arch with a height of 134 m, a length of 315 m and a diameter of 7 m. In addition to the originality of the decor, the structure performs a rather significant function - it supports a sliding roof, which has a loose structure. By the way, at this stadium, the field can be transformed into an athletic arena, the only inconvenience of such a conversion is the reduction of seats in the stands.

6. May Day Stadium in Pyongyang (DPRK, 1989)

At the moment, the "May Day Stadium", built in Pyongyang, is the largest stadium in the world, its stands can accommodate 150 thousand fans. Such a grandiose construction was timed to coincide with the XIII Festival of Youth and Students, held in 1989. The main design feature of the giant sports arena is 16 arches that form a ring, making it look like a magnolia flower.

Since North Korea is a closed country, the "May Day" stadium is used for domestic sports competitions or matches, but its main purpose is to organize the massive "Arirang" festival.

Interesting: The annual festival "Arirang" is included in the Guinness Book of Records as the greatest show in the world.

7. Melbourne Rectangular Stadium (Australia, 2010)

The unusual stadium was designed by the architectural and design bureau Cox Architects; their rectangular brainchild adorns Melbourne. Since 2010, its arenas have hosted both football and rugby matches. The main attraction of the "Rectangular Stadium" is the geodesic dome that rises above the stadium and covers most of the spectator seats. For the development of such an original project, Cox Architects was awarded the World Stadium Awards (2012).

8. "Allianz Arena" in Munich (Germany, 2005)

The Allianz Arena in Munich is recognized as the most impressive stadium of FC Bayern football club ever. Most of all, fans and visitors to Munich are impressed by the unusual facade, consisting of 2, 8 thousand diamond-shaped "cushions" (ETFE film panels) distributed over an area of 66, 5 thousand square meters. This huge membrane envelope, illuminated inside each cushion, is recognized as the largest structure in the world.

The Allianz Arena is especially beautiful in the evening, when thousands of lights are lit and the entire stadium shines in different colors, such a spectacle is breathtaking even for avid fans, not to mention the guests of the city.

Particularly noteworthy is the Bird's Nest Stadium in Beijing, which was created for the 2008 Summer Olympics.