Architect Eduardo Souto de Moura Discusses Designing Braga Stadium Without Football Knowledge

Portuguese architect Eduardo Souto de Moura has revealed in a Dezeen video interview that he had no prior understanding of football or stadium design when commissioned to create the Braga Municipal Stadium in Portugal. The project was developed for the UEFA Euro 2004 championship. Souto de Moura explained that the Braga municipality initially approached architects Norman Foster and Santiago Calatrava but selected him due to their higher fees. Despite his lack of experience with sports venues, he spent a month attending matches to study functional aspects like circulation and entry points. The stadium's distinctive design emerged from its unique location in a former quarry in northern Portugal. Souto de Moura was inspired by the site's natural features, deciding to carve the stone to create a structure resembling a Roman theater. One half of the stadium was formed directly from the excavated rock, while the other was constructed with reinforced concrete using material from the site. The design features two opposing stands with open sides, departing from conventional enclosed bowl configurations, which the architect argues better reflects football's lateral movement. This layout allows informal viewing from the surrounding landscape. The stadium includes a cable-suspended roof, a solution informed by Souto de Moura's earlier collaboration with Álvaro Siza on the Portuguese Pavilion. To maintain a lightweight appearance, the roof is subtly inclined to channel rainwater into a concealed gutter system for pitch irrigation, avoiding visible downpipes. Completed for Euro 2004, the Braga Municipal Stadium remains one of Souto de Moura's most celebrated works. He described it as the project he most enjoyed working on, highlighting its combination of constraints, landscape integration, and inventive design. The interview is part of a Dezeen video series, with the first installment focusing on Souto de Moura's architectural career beginnings.