Allianz Arena | UPDATE | ANOTHER UPDATE | YET ANOTHER UPDATE

I knew that Bayern Munich had a new stadium and suspected that it would be used for this summer's World Cup. However, I didn't know how striking its design was until I saw a post about it on the architecture blog Tropolism.

The stadium will host the opening game of the World Cup between Germany and Costa Rica (good luck, Ticos), Tunisia v Saudi Arabia, Brazil v Australia and Ivory Coast v Serbia & Montenegro. A second round match and one of the semi-finals will also be played there.

The use of light, curvature of the exterior wall and trapeziodal sections certainly make it stand-out among other stadiums. The downside to the stadium is that it was built north of Munich rather than in the city itself.

It's odd because they seemed to have copied the idea from the US of building large stadiums outside of major towns. However, currently, in the US, Major League Soccer is trying to copy the European model of building stadiums in urban areas rather than in the suburbs. We seemed to have swapped ideas.

UPDATE: In the comments, Flo and cj have posted links to more info and photos of the stadium. Thanks for the tips, guys.

Also from Tropolism, I wanted to post this picture of the new swimming center in Beijing for the 2008 Olympics. The guy who writes the blog put it best: "Wacky in a way only state-sponsored architecture can be".

I like how the illuminated exterior walls cast bubble-like images out into the parking lot.

UPDATE: cj sent over a link this afternoon to an architectural review of the Allianz Arena in The New Yorker this week. The New Yorker doesn't keep links active for very long. So, here's a little clip about a part of the stadium that isn't obvious from the photos and links above.

Unlike most American stadiums, the Allianz Arena is not surrounded by acres of parking lots, and the visual approach to the arena is as meticulously designed as anything within the building itself. Parking space is embedded in a partially sunken multilayered structure, atop which is the main pedestrian entry path to the arena. The path is lined with enormous lamps that look like hot-air balloons—whimsical echoes of the façade—and it begins at a train-and-bus station, so that people who arrive by car and those who take public transportation merge together as they walk along the elevated boulevard.

When you enter the arena, you go up one of several monumental staircases tucked between the pillowy exterior and the concrete inner structure of the stadium. The staircases curve as they rise, reflecting the rounded shape of the stadium. The stairs are one of the best things in the building. You get enticing glimpses of the angular metal framework that supports the façade as you walk up, and, at night, the colored lights create a lurid atmosphere that bears a beguiling resemblance to German Expressionism: “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari” transported to the realm of sport.

I wish the US was playing there this summer. It would have been cool to visit. How far is it from Frankfurt to Munich?

YET ANOTHER UPDATE: Just to prove that I'm not the only person obsessing over this new stadium, check out this site. Somebody has built a replica out of the stadium using Legos. And a nice one at that. I particularly like the smoke coming from the supporters section behind the goal. Nice touch.