The Turkish architecture practice has designed a large stadium in Senegal’s capital.
The award-winning Turkish architecture practice, Tabanlioglu Architects, has completed a new football stadium in Dakar, Senegal. Meeting FIFA and CAF standards for the African Cup of Nations, the design aims to integrate the project into the surrounding urban tissue, visually and socially.
Featuring hard and soft landscaping, as well as the regeneration of the area surrounding the stadium, the project addresses issues such as quality of facilities, user experience and comfort, future maintenance, vehicular and crowd movement, and accessibility.
While the stadium can accommodate up to 50,000 spectators across its lower and upper tiers, it also contains skyboxes and a president box. 1,045 seats are designated for VIP guests. In a fan-friendly approach, as well, the precinct boasts a dynamic ‘fan zone’ where sports enthusiasts can gather before entering the stadium.
Tabanlioglu also considered technology requirements for broadcasting and reporting, and therefore incorporated media entrances throughout, which are differentiated from the other 40 visitor entrances and portals.
The stadium is formed around a large football pitch that measures 105 metres by 68 metres, and the outer ring is multipurpose, serving as an accessible public park that can be used by the neighbourhood residents during days when there isn’t a match. “The inclusive public space embodies the integration of human, sports and the city identity,” said the architects, “while blending in [with] nature”.
Marking the architectural design of the rectangular project is the curvilinear facade, composed of multilayered metal mesh panels, which creates soft edges. In the evening, too, the stadium’s exterior reveals its dynamic nature, with changing colours and images projected on its surface. The structure, which has an intended operating life of at least 50 years, hopes to become an iconic structure for the West African country.
Throughout, Tabanlioglu applied robust and long lasting finishes, materials and components, as well as sustainable design principles that include commitments related to energy, water, materials, waste, ecology and transport, besides operational efficiency, in terms of both event and non-event activities.
