It's Elfin's Tuesday Architectural Appreciation thread! Sports Edition

Ok so, this has been quite popular and fun, so no reason not to carry on with it imo.

Yesterday I had a ride in the glorious sunshine, up past the Olympic site, which is really taking shape. So, I thought what better than to have a thread about sports venues?

I’ll start off with a couple of velodromes, this being a cycling-based website and that.

Ours:

Went to have a look at it, but you can’t get very close yet without all manner of security passes. It’s really quite an impressive building. Very simple yet beautiful shape.

The Vikingskipet (viking ship) in Hamar, Norway. Venue for Chris Boardman’s Hour Record. Built as a speed-skating rink for the 1994 Winter Olympics, but has also been used as a velodrome:

Athens velodrome:

Barcelona’s olympic diving venue at Montjuc park – nothing special as a building but genius positioning for the backdrop

Sadly vandalised by Doug Ellis and it is no more

Much as I have zero interest in football, you’ve got to admit that Wembley looks pretty cool. The engineering behind it is very impressive.

The Willows. A crumbling relic of a ground that I’ve been going to on and off for 35 years. Electrifying atmosphere, especially at night and if Salford are winning.

There’s more to a stadium than bricks and mortar.

Estadio Santiago Bernabeu:

Got drunk in the bar whilst my ‘footie’ mates went on the tour….excellent bar….cant tell you any thing about the inside of the stadium….but very imposing when you’re stood at the base of the towers!!!

Needs a bit of renovation, this one, but the blueprint for many large stadia today:

See?

These were proposals for Pompey’s new ground:

Unfortunately there was no money. However, this is still nice to visit:

Have a look at this, or visit the exhibition if you are in Amblesdie.

http://www.homesoffootball.co.uk/

I went on the Camp Nou tour last week. It’s impressive even with no-one in it. You walk out of the tunnel with crowd noise playing out of speakers. It’s spine-tingling. I can only imagine what it would be like to do that with nearly 100,000 packed in there.

Ourkidsam; I have been at a match with a full stadium. Believe me, it’s incredible. Proper terrifying too actually! I think Arsenal will find it an extremely intimidating place tonight…

And speaking of Arsenal, I did like the old Highbury, I have to say. Little bit Art Deco, you know? Nice place to have a quiet read…

I’m going to go back to water…

Broomhill Swimming Pool in Ipswich. Open air, lovely building, swimmers love it and want it open, the council want it shut and are letting it rot away. Truly a shame.

Also from Ipswich, Fore Street Swimmin Baths. I learned to dive here, passed my swimming proficiency test here as a very young lad and still think it’s great.

Hmm, I spose swimming pools just about count, as they can be venues for sporting events.

Simliar situation near me; Poplar Baths has bin shut for almost two decades. Hopefully will one day reopen, so us Great Unwashed can once again enjoy the place.

Victoria baths Manchester

And we couldn’t let this one pass without

just for you Fred 😉

and here’s a special subsection. Sporting venues being put to some damn good use. Kraftwerk at Manchester Velodrome. A dream ticket and utterly fantastic evening

While on the subject of smimming pools this place is pretty local to me. It has been in a state of disrepair since the war and it has been the venue for some great illegal parties in the empty swimming pool. It is now in the process of being renovated back to its former condition (complete with beginning of the century wave machine!

That’s a pretty stunning building to be honest, as is Fred’s. It makes me wonder why people feel the need to make everything out of steel and glass when buildings like that have stood the test of time and can _still_ inspire awe.

Fc Braga of Portugal decided to includeca climbing wall at one end for some reason

As for velodromes, what about La Paz, Bolivia. Not especially intersting but what a setting

This is where I may be watching football in future….

….what it used to look like – scoring against Hibs…

…..and where I watch it now!

These have recently grabbed my attention

Aviva Stadium

Cowboys Stadium

Well is its swimming and outdoors it has to be…….

http://www.saltdean.info/lido.htm

Can’t get any decent pics of it but the new ground at Thormond Park (home of Munster) has the 2 ends open to the elements, which is a touch ambitious for a stadium for a winter sport in Ireland. Fortunately the couple of times I have made it up it has been dry but I really am pushing my luck in the terraces!

I love it because of the noise and atmosphere, not because of the looks mind

St James Park, no football ground dominates quite like it

Meadowbank Velodrome – Looking a little tired these days, especially compared to the fancy new ones springing up in Manchester, London and Glasgow. (Manchester sprung quite a while back now but it still feels quite new in comparison)

More photos of Meadowbank[/url]

nobody mentioned this place yet?
Lords

and whilst on the same sport this place would be a good place to spend Boxing day
MCG

Bak nau! (Hic)

Meblourne is a good place for sporting stadia actually hold on shut up I’ve got to turn the radio off inane blether.

There we go.

AAMI Park. Is new:

Telstra Dome:

MCG is already mention:

Munich Olympic Stadium:

Someone mentioned Saltdean Lido, whilst not strictly (or even possibly) a ‘sporting’ venue, deserves a mention for it’s architectural value:

I make the rules here anyway so be quiet.

Only one for me. Citadel in Namur.

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Maple Leaf Gardens. Air Canada Centre hasn’t got the history.

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beijing_National_Aquatics_Center