Texas Border Business
There is a new generation of stadiums coming to Latin America following the opening Sunday of the new BBVA Bancomer soccer stadium in Monterrey, says its designer.
The 51,000-seat, aluminum-clad facility, built for the Monterrey football club at a cost of US $200 million, is the most expensive ever built in Mexico, according to the Kansas City Business Journal.
It was designed by the Kansas City-based architectural firm Populous, which specializes in sports facilities and convention centers. It called the stadium the most hospitality-driven and most advanced stadium in Latin America.
Lead architect David Lizarraga forecast it will usher in a new generation of such facilities in Latin America. “The level of detail in the design – from the stadium’s facade, which speaks to Monterrey’s heritage, to the hospitality experience – is unmatched,” Lizarraga said in a release.
With 324 suites and 4,500 club seats, along with lounges offering luxury food, beverage and seating, it also billed as having the most premium seating of any Latin American stadium.
Its aluminum exterior was inspired by the history of brewing and steel manufacturing in the city, the capital of Nuevo León. The stadium was built by Coca-Cola bottler FEMSA, owner of the football club.
Populous designed the Natal, Brazil, stadium in which four matches were played in last year’s World Cup.
Source: Kansas City Business Journal (en)
