ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

French Euro 2016 Stadiums by Star Architects

architecture-design · 2026-05-05

The UEFA Euro 2016 in France featured a parallel architectural competition among host cities. Bordeaux commissioned Herzog & de Meuron, known for Beijing's Bird's Nest with Ai Weiwei, to design a 42,000-seat rectangular stadium with a roof supported by hundreds of thin white columns. Nice hired Wilmotte & Associés, led by Jean-Michel Wilmotte, for the Allianz Riviera: a 36,000-seat undulating structure with a wooden pergola and transparent facade. Other stadiums include Lyon's 59,000-seat triangular-roofed venue by Populous; Lille's 50,000-seat stadium by Atelier Ferret architecture featuring a reflective metal mesh facade and a retractable roof that opens or closes in 30 minutes; and two projects by SCAU: Marseille's 67,000-seat stadium and Paris's Stade de France (80,000 seats).

Key facts

  • Euro 2016 in France sparked an architectural competition among host cities.
  • Bordeaux's stadium by Herzog & de Meuron seats 42,000 and has a roof on thin white columns.
  • Herzog & de Meuron also designed Beijing's Bird's Nest with Ai Weiwei.
  • Nice's Allianz Riviera by Wilmotte & Associés seats 36,000 and features a wooden pergola.
  • Jean-Michel Wilmotte worked on the Musée d'Orsay and Gare du Nord.
  • Lyon's stadium by Populous has a triangular roof and 59,000 seats.
  • Lille's stadium by Atelier Ferret has a retractable roof that opens/closes in 30 minutes.
  • SCAU designed Marseille's 67,000-seat stadium and Paris's Stade de France (80,000 seats).

Entities

Artists

  • Ai Weiwei
  • Jean-Michel Wilmotte
  • Massimo Mattioli

Institutions

  • Herzog & de Meuron
  • Wilmotte & Associés
  • Populous
  • Atelier Ferret architecture
  • SCAU
  • Musée d'Orsay
  • Museo San Domenico di Forlì
  • Louvre
  • Gare du Nord
  • Grand Louvre
  • Hôpital Georges Pompidou
  • Artribune

Locations

  • France
  • Bordeaux
  • Nice
  • Lyon
  • Lille
  • Marseille
  • Paris
  • Beijing
  • Pechino
  • Forlì
  • Todi
  • Perugia
  • Turin

Sources