1.2K 
At SkyriseCities, we cover skyscraping towers and groundscaping complexes, which include some of the world's most impressive new sporting venues. Last month, leading international sports architecture firm HOK published the first renderings for their competition-winning design of the New Palau Blaugrana, a 12,000-seat stadium set to replace Barcelona's aging Palau Blaugrana built in 1971, and home to the FC Barcelona sports club. For this project, the internationally known firm is partnering with Barcelona-based TAC Arquitectes.
Situated in the developing Espai Barça sports district of the Spanish metropolis, the new stadium will be built on the current site of the Mini Estadi, a 15,276-seat facility. Designed to become an integral part of the surrounding Les Corts neighbourhood, the stadium's design will blend indoor and outdoor spaces. With a curvilinear form, the arena will feature a metallic facade allowing passersby to grasp a glimpse of the event unfolding inside, while a large screen attached to the upper portion of the building will stream footage of the event inside.
Additionally, an outdoor concourse will add a new open public space to the area, connecting the entrance of the stadium to the rest of the precinct. This pedestrian-only plaza will be animated all year long, thanks to outdoor patios and green spaces. The extensive outdoor public spaces were made possible by the compact design of the stadium, where successive rows of seats are placed in a tighter, steeper position to maximize both the spectator experience and the footprint of the building.
The New Palau Blaugrana is expected to be ready for the 2019-2020 basketball season. In the meantime, additional images and information about the project can be found in the Database file linked below. Want to get involved in the discussion or share your photos? Check out the associated Forum thread or leave a comment at the bottom of this page.
