Johan Cruyff Stadium in Sant Joan Despí
An asymmetrical and iconic image for a state-of-the-art stadium.
The order arises from the need on the part of F.C. Barcelona to dignify obsolete and degraded benches. In addition, its reconstruction was absolutely delimited by its busy schedule of activities at Camp Nou throughout the year.
The project is approached considering three scales:
On a show scale within the field, the aim is to generate a recognizable object with its own identity within the immense presence of Camp Nou. An object capable of becoming the focus of attention in moments of the show (departure of the players on the field) or, at other moments, of leaving all the prominence to the game.
At the scale of the show off the field through the media, the new benches want to serve as a stage, as a backdrop for the sometimes theatrical activities of the actors of the great football show. Special care is taken when drawing a front elevation that delimits a finite object that defines very clearly an entity proper to the object.
On the human scale of users, players, and coaches, the benches act as a refuge, a small protective burrow within the space for the game, the focus of all eyes.
The object is not, therefore, the result of a mere extrusion that defines its structure, but the ends of the object and its central area are also worked to collect, in a single operation, a small space intended for referees and delegate, the benches of the two teams and the exit and entry to changing rooms.