A new, completely solar-powered stadium has just broke ground in Bordeaux, France. The stadium is set for completion in 2015. It will be named the Nouveau Stade de Bordeaux and designed by Swiss design firm Herzog & de Meuron.
The solar-powered stadium has been in concept for many years, first unveiled to the public in July 2011. Work on the foundation has recently started in Bordeaux’s Lac quarter (also known as the green belt district). The Bordeaux Lac Quarter was partially chosen for its accessibility, since it can be easily reached via public transportation.
The solar-powered stadium is set to hold the Euro 2016 football championship, but it will also serve as the new headquarters of the Girondins de Bordeaux team year round. Nouveau Stade de Bordeaux is expected to seat around 43,500 spectators and provide enough electricity from the solar photovoltaic plant to power the stadium.
In addition to the solar photovoltaic panels used for the stadium, the nearby car park will be shaded with its own set of solar photovoltaic panels, which will offer additional electricity to the stadium. The overall cost of the stadium is estimated to be around $223 million.
The swiss firm Herzog & de Meuron is no stranger to epic stadium designs. One of its most recent monumental designs is the “bird’s nest” National Stadium for the Beijing 2008 Olympics. This new design will provide an airy feel with a rectangular roof sloping inward, supported by thin white poles — that is supposed to give a sense of being in an open forest.
With completion set for 2015, the Nouveau Stade de Bordeaux will host one of the 2016 Union of European Football Associations’ European Football Championship matches. So we will have to wait and see if the stadium will look anything like the concept drawing’s.
There are still no details on the exact number of solar panels that will be used or the total expected solar generation output of the new stadium.
