Olympique Lyonnais Stadium, Lyon Sports Facility Building, French Architecture Images

Olympique Lyonnais Stadium in Lyon Facility

Sports Facility in southern France design by Populous Architects

10 Jun 2016 ; 25 Jan 2016

Olympique Lyonnais Stadium

Design: Populous

Location: Lyon, southern France

New Olympique Lyonnais Stadium opens in Lyon, France

The new home of Olympique Lyonnais opened on the 9th January 2016. The Grand Stade de Lyon will become a fantastic new home ground for one of France’s most iconic football teams and provide a key venue for the UEFA Euro 2016 Finals, including the first semi-final on the 6th July.

The largest new stadium built before this summer’s tournament, the Grand Stade de Lyon reflects the culture and community of the club and the city of Lyon. World-class facilities have been included for all fans and visitors to the stadium, including bars, meeting rooms, banqueting halls, more than 100 executive suites and eight corporate lounges.

The 59,186-capacity venue also has a specially-designed and adaptable concert mode for up to 60,000 spectators and will be able to host a range of sports events, including the European Rugby Champions Cup Final in May.

At 53,700m2, the Grand Stade de Lyon has one of the largest stadium roofs in the world, a feature which will allow the venue to become a focal point within the local community throughout the year. Designed to echo the local forest canopy, the roof extends over the external podium and creates a large new public space that is linked to the city by integrated bus and tram terminals. This also allows the match day experience to be extended, creating new spaces for fans to come together outside of the venue.

The masterplan, external hard and soft landscaping have all been carefully designed with French group AIA Associés. The parkland surrounding the stadium will operate as a ‘green car park’ on match and event days, before returning to a public park for the rest of the week, benefitting both the football club and the people of Lyon.

Populous Senior Principal Nicholas Reynolds said: “We are very proud of the Grand Stade de Lyon. Working with Olympique Lyonnais on such a momentous project has been a fantastic experience, and has resulted in a stadium design which really speaks to the culture of both the club and the city.

“As well as providing a great atmosphere and world-class hospitality offerings for football fans, the stadium is also able to host a multitude of concerts and events, creating a venue that will draw visitors throughout the year. I am certain that it will become a real destination venue for the region.”

Project Architect and Principal Garry Reeves said: “The stadium has always been thought of as a spark for the local area, and we’ve been extremely lucky to work with a very enthusiastic team representing both the club and the city of Lyon. Many of the features of the stadium are inspired by this very special club; in particular, the north and south stands are specifically designed to facilitate the traditional singing between Olympique Lyonnais home fans, creating a cacophony of noise and support for the home team.

“We believe that the stadium will prove to be an exciting new home for Olympique Lyonnais, inspiring passion and togetherness, as well as being a catalyst for regeneration in the local area.”

About Populous
Populous is an international architecture and design practice with over thirty years of experience in creating environments that draw people and communities together for unforgettable experiences. In the world’s top cities they have designed more than 2,000 projects worth $30 billion, including 50 arenas. Their designs for places and events like the O2 Arena, Yankee Stadium, Wembley Stadium, Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium, and the London Olympic Games have created emotional connections between people and the civic, sports and entertainment places and events they love best.