© Nic Lehoux

In the city of Los Angeles, California, a new sport and entertainment complex has been built to host the 2022 Super Bowl. We’re talking about SoFi Stadium, a display of modernism, budget, and design that promises to become a must-see for all those who visit the city of dreams.

Built on the site of the former Hollywood Park Racetrack, the new entertainment complex, which includes a 70,000-seat stadium, the 6,000-seat YouTube Theater, and the American Airlines Plaza, will be the most expensive stadium built to date. Surrounded by stunning landscapes and a 6-acre lake, the design premise belongs to Stanley Kronke, owner and CEO of Los Angeles Rams: “to create a unique Los Angeles tourist destination” that would recreate the spirit of the city.

The idea was received as a guideline by the HKS studio, whom  along with Studio-MLA, decided to transform a space that has been abandoned for more than 20 years into a place of gathering and well-being for the community.

Inside and outside

The complex was built close to Los Angeles Airport, so height was a challenge in terms of design. The solution to this problem was to build the stadium field and bleachers 100 feet below the ground, making the roof quite low compared to other constructions of the same style.

However, to counteract the sense of underground space, numerous columns support a wave-shaped ceiling that rises to different heights, giving a sense of expansion, freedom, and allowing light and air currents to circulate throughout. This ceiling is made of a semi-transparent material, collated with shiny sheets. In this way, light enters easily, giving the spectators the advantage of being protected from the weather, but with the freedom of an open-air venue.

When it comes to aesthetics, the stadium’s roof steals the show by blending in perfectly with the Californian landscape. Surrounding the entrances to the stadium, the roofed space has numerous oases where visitors can recreate themselves in the fauna of the region and meet to enjoy the shade and the diverse screens that project the day’s event or images of the city.

In this way, these architectural studios managed to provide visitors with an indoor-outdoor experience that takes sporting events and competitions to the next level.