After the Game

The concept of a multipurpose sport and leisure precinct first emerged at the 1972 Munich Summer Olympics, when a team of architects—Behnisch+Partner with Frei Otto—redefined the relationship between athletic venues and the urban landscape. Rather than following the typical model, where stadiums are located outside the city and used only for the games, they designed a cultural space with sports venues situated among recreational areas and public spaces. The Olympic Park’s continued popularity has sparked proposals for its listing as a UNESCO World Heritage site: “The people who use the park today—families, cyclists, runners—don’t think about the stadium,” says Bosse. “They think about the park.”

For LAVA, the continued success of the Olympic Park in Munich demonstrates the transformative potential of such a master plan in Addis Ababa. “Instead of building a stadium that is used once a month, we’ve designed a complex that can be enjoyed every day,” continues Bosse. The stadium, which meets FIFA and IOC requirements, is surrounded by sports and recreation areas, accommodation, and commercial spaces, creating a new cultural enclave within the capital. As Bosse notes, “Stadiums are often White Elephants: isolated and costly structures that don’t benefit the community beyond major events. Our master plan places the stadium at the heart of a space designed for the public to enjoy.”

Backdropped by the Entoto Mountains, LAVA’s master plan took inspiration from the volcanic geology that shaped the Central Ethiopian Highlands millions of years ago. The spatial program divides the site into “craters,” housing key facilities and amenities, all connected by green spaces. The curved forms of these buildings mimic the calderas of extinct volcanoes: “Rather than being separate from the site, the buildings rise from the earth as if they’ve always been part of it,” says Bosse. This integration draws from Ethiopia’s architectural history, where buildings were carved from the earth and into cliff faces, as well as from Olympia, where the natural topography formed the setting for the first Olympic games. “The Greeks and Romans didn’t rely on monumental buildings,” continues Bosse, “instead, they focused on the landscape, working with it as a structural element rather than against it. We applied this principle in a new context, remodeling the existing terrain to create efficient, environmentally responsive spaces while reducing construction costs.”

The stadium’s terraformed base provides 20,000 seats, while the structure above adds another 40,000. LAVA optimized the seating bowl for functionality, with careful consideration of sightlines, escape routes, and both regular and VIP seating. Like the roofing system Otto designed for the Munich Olympics, the stadium features a lightweight, minimal-surface membrane roof that appears to float at the structure’s edge. Designed with parametric modeling, the roof adapts to the local climate, offering partial shelter while keeping the stadium predominantly open to the sky.

The façade is inspired by the mesob—a traditional Ethiopian woven serving bowl—and merges function with symbolism, providing shelter and promoting airflow while representing hospitality and community. LAVA adapted the mesob’s pattern into a woven bamboo and wicker façade with algorithmic modeling. “We apply this low-tech, high-tech approach in many of our projects. While it may seem unconventional, there’s no reason why a design created with digital modeling can’t be realized through traditional craftsmanship,” says Bosse, who—as lead designer at PTW—employed a similar approach for the complex steel façade of the Beijing Water Cube. By balancing modern techniques with local tradition and private sporting games with public interest, LAVA’s winning concept proposes a master plan that is rooted in people, place, and culture.