Industry News

Finnish stadium that includes housing given green light

The construction of a new football stadium in Finland that incorporates housing could begin later this year after it was given the green light in court.

The Tammela Football Stadium project in Tampere is taking steps forward after the Administrative Court of Hämeenlinna overruled complaints concerning building a new stadium in the Tammela district.

The 6,500-capacity stadium, set to be the home of FC Ilves, would feature apartment buildings at the top of the stands and retail space. The dwellings would face outside the block.

In a recent hearing, the court did not find a reason to object to the new city plan, approved by the City Council of Tampere in 2016, for building a new stadium and developing its environment.

Architect JKMM Arkkitehdit, whose design was selected back in 2014, said: “The setting is designed to support the autonomous, easy functionality of the apartment buildings.”

“The existing Tampere stadium, dating back to 1930s, will be replaced by the new, modern hybrid stadium that will be used all year round. The construction phase is likely to begin in autumn 2018.”

Back in 2014, architects in Brazil proposed adding housing modules to the country’s FIFA World Cup stadiums. It was suggested the ‘Casa Futebol’ project, the brainchild of Axel de Stampa and Sylvain Macaux and their 1week1project think tank, would help deal with housing shortages and ensure venues were utilised.

It was suggested the 105m² housing modules could be used at all 12 Brazilian World Cup stadiums. Under the 1week1project plans, approximately 315 residential units could have covered the exterior facade and 315 indoor units for the Brasilia National Stadium. About 1,500 to 2,000 people could have lived in each stadium, in total about 20,000.

IMAGE: JKMM