June 6, 2008
Tomorrow begin the European Soccer Championships 2008. Theatre of the inaugural game, between Switzerland and the Czech Republic, will be the St. Jakob Stadium of Basel, designed by Herzog & de Meuron, built in 2001, and enlarged last year, precisely in view of this event.
And it will be an exceptional theatre, considering that the two great Swiss architects have designed a structure capable of setting off an osmotic reaction that involves architecture and its function.
The structure casing consists of a series of “cupolas” made of white polycarbonate (transparent), which react to the events that occur inside the stadium. The sports event dynamic is thus “recounted” on the outside in real time: with each goal, the casing turns red, transforming the stadium into a great pulsating heart.
St. Jakob-Park can be considered as the forefather of the Allianz Arena of Munich, also designed by the Herzog & de Meuron Studio, and venue of the inaugural game of the World Soccer Championships 2006.
The stadium will be the most important venue of these championships in Switzerland, organised by Switzerland and Austria. It will indeed also host the two games of the quarter-finals and a semi-final, before the conclusion with the final in Vienna.