Mexican Architects lead the way in community spirit for sports architecture design in Latin America and Europe

Sordo Madaleno Architects are reinterpreting how sports facilities are designed. The architects recently completed a football training academy in Guadalajara, Mexico, to train Atlas Football Club’s elite players alongside young players, including those from low-income backgrounds. Sordo Madaleno’s design for El Molinón Stadium in Spain also explores the role of sports buildings in facilitating group dynamics and social cohesion.

Atlas Football Club is one of Mexico’s oldest clubs with three Liga MX championships. It has given rise to some of the country’s most celebrated players and was acquired by Orlegi Sports in 2019. Over the years, the Club has also gained a reputation in supporting young players.

Orlegi Sports appointed Mexico and London based Sordo Madaleno Architects to design the new academy, incorporating six professional football fields as part of the brief for the seven-hectare site.  

The project also includes clubhouses, applied sport science facilities and administrative offices, as well as accommodation and resources to young male and female players.  

Sordo Madaleno responded to the brief in a unique way creating a campus-like building with generous open-air circulation that promotes a collegiate community feeling.

Academia Atlas

This nurturing spirit is further enhanced in how the project has been built using locally-sourced materials and embracing the traditional construction techniques supplied of local labour.

 Alejandro Irarragorri, Orlegi Sports Chairman, said:

Academia Atlas is about creating the right environment and facilities for the future development of young players making entry into elite football more widely accessible in Mexico. The project has also been conceived by us together with Sordo Madaleno to create jobs in Jalisco through local procurement processes while giving the region an important landmark promoting the role of sport in society.

Fernando Sordo Madaleno added:

We wanted to create an enclosure within a vast flat landscape that is highly exposed to the elements, and we wanted to bring green areas inside Academia Atlas to show how important planting and wildlife are in giving us a sense of belonging somewhere and our wellbeing.

SVB LIVE events focus on elevating the live experience through Architecture & Design, Customer Journey, Fan & Premium/VIP Experience, Hospitality, Interiors & Fit-Out, Sustainability, Technology, and Venue Commercialisation.

Real Sporting Gijón Stadium, Spain

Sordo Madaleno’s design for El Molinón Stadium in Gijón Northern Spain also explores the role of sports buildings in facilitating group dynamics and social cohesion. Orlegi Sports are again the client for this project that is a contender for hosting the FIFA World Cup in 2030.  

As the home of Real Sporting de Gijón founded in 1905, El Molinón Stadium is also home to the country’s the first professional football field that will be preserved as part of the new designs for a 33,650 fixed seat venue by Sordo Madaleno.  

The project will create a more engaging Stadium, even outside of the games season, by opening it up through a mixed-use typology that includes a rooftop terrace for events and hospitality, as well as a gastronomic corridor, restaurants, shops, and cultural activities.

A total of 10 covered open-air circulation ramps are also envisioned surrounding the stadium, allowing for easy access while creating a distinctive image for the venue. The gradient of the ramps is designed to ensure independent mobility, as the walkways will become available for pedestrians and joggers to use year-round.

Fernando Sordo Madaleno said:

Our close collaboration with Real Sporting de Gijón is about rethinking stadium design in a way that makes for a truly public place for everyone in the city to appreciate. It’s about connecting with the Asturias and its people through an inclusive approach to architecture and ensuring that El Molinón thrives beyond 2030.

The project is an excellent example of how architects and urban planners are increasingly focused on understanding the long-lasting impact of both temporary venues and long-term infrastructure adaptations that come with major sporting events. As such, Sordo Madaleno’s approach in Gijón is pioneering the way for how sports buildings can be better integrated into our cities both in terms of the different activities they can host and also in terms of how they become accessible landmarks within the urban landscape.

Alejandro Irarragorri, Chairman of the Board of Real Sporting de Gijón and Orlegi Sports, said:

Fernando Sordo Madaleno and his team have prepared a technically outstanding, viable and advanced project that will meet FIFA’s requirements. A modern, functional, digital and sustainable stadium.

The SVB LIVE series of events – organised by Sports Venue Business and focused on elevating the live experience – feature Global Networking Events and the annual SVB LIVE Conference & Exhibition.