Grand Stade Hassan II: Design revealed for one of the world’s largest stadiums ahead of 2030 World Cup
CNN
The 115,000-capacity venue outside Casablanca, Morocco will have a big role to play in the 2030 FIFA World Cup.
The final of the 2030 FIFA World Cup is five years and 11 months away, and the design for the stadium which hopes to host the match has finally been revealed. The Grand Stade Hassan II soccer stadium in Morocco – one of three countries co-hosting the tournament alongside Spain and Portugal – is being touted as potentially “the largest football stadium in the world” by designers Oualolou + Choi and Populous, with a planned capacity of 115,000. The stadium will be situated on a 100-hectare (roughly 247 acres) site in El Mansouria, a town north of Casablanca, with a design Populous says recalls a “moussem,” a type of traditional communal tent. The Grande Stade’s take will be made from an aluminum lattice, which will cover both fans inside the stadium and tiered gardens on the outside of the stands, and a botanical garden on the ground floor. The design, according to Tarik Oualalou, design principal and founding partner at Oualalou + Choi, “is deeply rooted in Moroccan culture, with its traditions and contemporary expressions,” he wrote in a press release. “It is rooted in ancient and primordial figures: the Moussem, the tent, and the garden, as well as the topography and landscapes of Morocco.” The configuration appears tailored for FIFA World Cup events: the stands themselves will be separated into zones for general admission fans at each end (holding nearly 30,000 each), while the main section will be dedicated to boxes, hospitality, VIPs and VVIPs, according to the release. “(It) will be a truly iconic, landmark venue for Morocco and for football itself, that will become one of the great stadia of the world,” said Christopher Lee, managing director at Populous, EMEA.
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