The Stadium: Architecture for the New Global Sporting Culture

Through the work of HOK Sport, the world's leading stadium architects, The Stadium examines the increased significance and value of the stadium as an architectural icon. The ascendancy of sport as the new global culture means that the stadium has a central role in the 21st Century city - financially, geographically, culturally and spiritually.

The Stadium contextualizes the social history that has led to the ascendancy of sport, with an account of the Five Generations of Stadia which have evolved since the 19th Century codification of sports. The new role of the stadium in the city as a tool for urban regeneration and global city branding is identified and documented for the first time.

Many of the stadia featured in this book have been the venues for the most successful sporting events of the last decade, including the Sydney Olympic Games, the Rugby World Cup, the Superbowl, the FA Cup Final, the Asian Games and the Euro 2004 Football Championships. These events have unequivocally engendered a feeling of global community, a unique achievement in a time of divisiveness and uncertainty.

The Stadium features 18 sporting venues worldwide, including Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, SBC Park in San Francisco, Telstra Stadium in Sydney, Nanjing Sports Park, Reliant Stadium in Houston, Estadio da Luz in Lisbon, Oriole Park in Baltimore, Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, the Reebok Stadium in Bolton, Wimbledon Centre Court, the new Ascot Racecourse, and the new Emirates and Wembley stadia in London.