Photo: Marcus Bredt
Americans will be glued to their television sets this Sunday for the greatest (American) sports event of the year. Super Bowl XLVII—that’s “47″ for the Roman Numeral illiterate like myself—will kick off promptly at 6:30, at which point the 49ers and the Ravens will clash for the ensuing three hours over a gold trophy and salary bonuses. Of course, the game itself is almost secondary to the Super Bowl “experience,” that delirious mix of joy, community, and stomach aches that comes with conspicuous consumption of beer, nachos, and asinine television commercials.
What I’ll be watching is the architecture, mostly because I know next to nothing about football and because I happen to have a soft spot for the Mercedes-Benz Super Dome (née Lousiana Super Dome). Designed by architects Curtis and Davis in 1967, the building is severe to say the least, and there’s no denying that the blank steel walls are a little drab—perhaps too drab for the night’s celebratory event. As an alternative, these five sport venues are as exuberant as the sporting events they host (or hosted). Click through for the slideshow!
Still riding high from the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, international firm Populous has been chosen to design one of the 12 arenas that will host the 2018 FIFA World Cup matches, in Russia. The Rostov Stadium will mark the firm’s fourth venture into Russian stadium design, and will be heavily influenced by the natural
image © Fernandes Arquitetos Associados Soccer fans can soon have their Coca-Cola and drink it too. The soda giant has launched a sustainability effort in conjunction with the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil that encourages consumers to recycle their plastic bottles. Each bottle collected at one of the almost 100 special recycling spots set
