Größe ist nicht alles: Stade de Luxembourg von gmp Architekten und Beng Architects

The results were fitting: on 1 September 2021, the Luxembourg national team won their World Cup qualifying match against Azerbaijan; the game also christened the Stade de Luxembourg. With 9,900 sets, the football and rugby arena located south of Luxembourg City is rather small for a national stadium. This made it all the more important to gmp Architekten and their Luxembourger partners Beng Architects Associés to give the new structure a striking shape with high recognition value. Therefore, they designed the stadium as a clear cube with grandstands reaching all the way down to the edges of the pitch. Moreover, the rows of seats have a 45⁰ incline only at the corners of the arena. To the north, the stadium grounds are next to the A6 highway; to the south a newly added road and tram connection, the Boulevard de Kockelscheuer, provides access to the stadium. Next door, gmp Architekten are also planning the city’s Service des Sports administrative building.

The pitch size and spatial program of the arena follow international guidelines: the Stade de Luxembourg fulfils the criteria of the highest UEFA stadium category IV as well as those of the International Rugby Board (IRB). The south-facing side of the stadium is home to the main grandstand; in front of this, there are spaces for the press, players, VIPs and other officials. Right above the main entrance, there is a business foyer with an adjoining press area and a multipurpose space that can be used independently of sports events.

The supporting structure of the arena’s roof and façade consists of steel semi-frames set at an axis distance of 7.50 m. These frames have been fixed into the concrete construction of the grandstands. Starting from the supports, the steel beams jut 22 m towards the playing field and then fold upwards to end in 15-metre-long floodlight masts. A pre-stressed rope net extends between the steel supports to bear the nearly 500 rhombic, folded aluminum panels of the façade. At night, the façade is backlit, making the stadium cube a visible element of the urban fabric.

Further Information:

TGA planning: ZWP, LuxauTec
Media technology: Graner und Partner
Project management: Paul Wurth Geprolux