05 Mar 2020
World's biggest cricket stadium, designed by Populous, inaugurated in India
BY Stu Robarts
The world's largest cricket stadium, designed by Populous, has been inaugurated in India.
The Motera Stadium, officially the Sardar Patel Stadium, located in the western state of Gujarat in the city of Ahmedabad, was constructed over the course of three years at a cost of $100m (€89m, £77m).
Andrew James, lead architect and senior principal at Populous, said: “Cricket is the biggest sport in India and this stadium has been designed to bring together as many fans as possible, creating an incredible atmosphere for international cricket, IPL matches through to regional and community games.
“Every one of the 110,000 seats has uninterrupted sightlines of the field and pitch and with a deliberate round, open stadium providing 360-degree views, you feel you’re a part of what’s happening.
“Drawing on our expertise with cricket and major sports venues around the world, the bowl design consists of two large seating tiers, each with approximately 50,000 general admission seats, designed to fill the lower levels for smaller events and still bring that sense of occasion, the sight and the sound to make every experience a special one."
In addition, the facility features four-team dressing rooms and facilities, club facilities and a VIP pavilion, three practice grounds, an indoor cricket academy, an Olympic-size swimming pool, 76 corporate boxes and a media lounge with press rooms.
A lightweight tensile fabric roof system, structurally engineered by Walter P Moore, reduces seismic demand due to the stadium's location in a level 3 seismic zone.
“The stadium will become an iconic sports venue for both aspiring and elite players. It will become one of the world’s great cricket stadiums, putting the Gujarat Cricket Association on the global sporting map,” said James.
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