The future of Gran Canaria’s football stadium has been unveiled with the announcement of ‘La Nube’ (cloud), the winning design for the comprehensive expansion and redevelopment of the Gran Canaria Stadium (Las Palmas, Canary Islands, Spain) in time for the 2030 World Cup.
‘CanarianWeekly’ stated that the project, led by L35 Arquitectos, the architects behind the 78,297-capacity Bernabéu Stadium (Madrid, Spain) modernization, was unanimously selected by the jury who gathered at the Cabildo headquarters (the administrative headquarters of a town or City) recently to review nine competing proposals.
The 32,400-capacity Gran Canaria Stadium is a football stadium in Las Palmas, Canary Islands, Spain. It is currently used for football matches and is home to the LaLiga team UD Las Palmas. The stadium opened its doors in 2003.
The UD Las Palmas is a professional football club based in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, Spain. The club competes in LaLiga, the top division of the Spanish football league system.
The L35 Arquitectos is an international architecture, urbanism and design firm with offices in Barcelona, Madrid (Spain), Paris (France), Milano (Italy), Miami (US), Mexico, Bogotá (Colombia), Santiago (Chile), Istanbul (Türkiye), and Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates). Founded in 1967, L35’s practice covers a myriad of architectural forms and projects both large and complex among which are several office buildings and corporate headquarters, residential complexes, large shopping and leisure centers, mixed-use developments, sports stadiums, and urban developments.
The 2030 FIFA World Cup™ will be the 24th FIFA World Cup™, a quadrennial international football tournament contested by the men’s national teams of the member associations of FIFA. For the first time, three countries from two continents will host the competition with Morocco, Portugal and Spain as the host nations. Additionally, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay will host three games commemorating the 100th anniversary of the FIFA World Cup™, in particular, the first World Cup in Uruguay.
Antonio Morales, President of the Cabildo of Gran Canaria (the legislative and administrative body for the island of Gran Canaria), alongside the island’s Minister of Sport Aridany Romero, presented the winning design.
Morales described ‘La Nube’ as “an elegant, modern and emblematic project that will serve as a reference in architecture, sports, culture, and environmental sustainability while also being deeply connected to the City and the island itself. This will be our new Estadio de Gran Canaria, our 21st century Coliseum.”
‘CanarianWeekly’ further stated that Morales added that the stadium will be a flagship venue for sporting events, cultural festivals and large-scale celebrations reflecting the island’s ambition for modernization.
Key Features of the New Stadium
The jury awarded ‘La Nube’ an impressive 97.71 out of 100 points highlighting its architectural integration, environmental innovation and urban connectivity. The name, ‘The Cloud’, reflects its holistic design which incorporates water and energy-harvesting technologies.
The stadium’s distinctive white, translucent architecture will allow it to blend seamlessly into its surroundings while forming a unique, environmentally conscious urban microclimate with advanced acoustic absorption.
One of the most significant improvements will be accessibility. The design introduces large open spaces in the Northeast and the Southwest corners to facilitate smoother entry and exit seamlessly integrating with the surrounding urban landscape.
The stadium’s seating capacity will be expanded from 32,426 to a net capacity of over 40,000 with a maximum of 44,484 seats for the LaLiga matches meeting the FIFA’s requirements for quarter-final World Cup venues. This will be achieved by extending and repositioning the North and South Stands and enhancing proximity to the pitch without altering the existing levels.
The North Stand will be designed to accommodate alternative events such as concerts through the use of retractable seating. Additionally, the hospitality areas, the VIP lounges and the food and beverage (F&B) services will be significantly upgraded.
Innovative and Sustainable Design
A standout feature of ‘La Nube’ is its cutting-edge, sustainable construction. The exterior enclosure will consist of an intelligent, translucent membrane made from ethylene tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE), a lightweight, highly durable thermoplastic polymer combined with recycled laminated glass. This will not only enhance the aesthetics but also enable the inclusion of commercial spaces within the stadium’s perimeter.
The ETFE will also be used for the stadium’s roof reducing the structural costs while ensuring high energy efficiency. The project will integrate state-of-the-art sustainability measures including textile photovoltaic (PV) panels, mini wind turbines, geothermal energy, photocatalytic paving to improve the air quality, and the biomimetic systems to capture atmospheric moisture.
Timeline and Costs
The design phase will take approximately six months and will be preceded by a preliminary project with a budget allocation of €5.7 million. The overall construction cost of the stadium is estimated at €101.2 million with funding already secured by the Cabildo under its Extraordinary Investment Plan. The redevelopment is expected to be completed well before FIFA’s June 2029 deadline for World Cup stadium readiness.
Selection Process and Jury Verdict
The competition which concluded on December 27th, 2024 received nine anonymous proposals. These were evaluated based on three primary criteria: Architectural and cultural quality (50 points), technical and economic feasibility (35 points) and urban integration (15 points).
The jury chaired by Antonio Morales and presided over by Aridany Romero included prominent architects and engineers from the regional professional colleges along with experts in sports infrastructure.
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