rio olympics: wilkinson eyre opens arenas cariocas in brazil

rio olympics: wilkinson eyre’s design for the ‘arenas cariocas’ has opened as the largest venue within rio’s olympic park in brazil. formed as three arenas united under one roof, the 400 meter-long stadium provides seating for 36,000 spectators, hosting various competitions including basketball, judo, wrestling, taekwondo, and fencing. once the arena is in paralympic games mode, it will also host wheelchair basketball, rugby, and boccia.

the design is made up of three sculptural forms
image by robb williamson

designed by wilkinson eyre, the ‘arenas cariocas’ is made up of three sculptural forms which run parallel to the main walkway at the heart of the olympic park. built on an old formula one circuit, the ‘arenas cariocas’ will be transformed into an elite athlete training center after the games. the reconfigured building will provide infrastructure for the development of top athletes and will allow rio de janeiro to host future important international sports events.

the building runs parallel to the main walkway at the heart of the olympic park
image by robb williamson

‘we designed the arenas cariocas in rio with functionality and adaptability in mind,’ explains sam wright, associate director at wilkinson eyre. ‘much like our final design for the basketball arena at the 2012 london olympics games, the challenge was to create a temporary building that would be both simple to erect and sustainable in terms of its legacy. this is a transitional building that can morph after the games into a different typology with zero impact on the fabric of the built form.

‘aesthetically, the ‘arenas cariocas’ differs from our other stadium designs in that we were asked to deliver three arenas in one footprint. from the outside, one can glimpse the singular form housing the three venues, operating simultaneously and yet from within, the spectator will be fully immersed in the drama of the individual sport.’

the arena will be transformed into an athlete training center after the games
image by robb williamson

wilkinson eyre’s design is part of the international design competition for the masterplan of the olympic park, which was won with AECOM. wilkinson eyre developed the concept for the venue and took the project to detailed design. in spring 2013 the project was handed over to the rio mais consortium to be delivered by local architect arqhos consultoria e projetos. see more coverage of the 2016 rio olympics on designboom here.

exploded 3D modeling
image © wilkinson eyre

sectional drawings (during and after olympic games)
image © wilkinson eyre

environmental section
image © wilkinson eyre

project info:

client: city of rio de janeiro
location: rio de janeiro, brazil
architect: wilkinson eyre
delivery architect: arqhos consultoria e projetos
masterplanners: AECOM
area: 58,000 sqm
structural engineer: AECOM
main contractor: rio mais (construtora norberto odebrecht, andrade gutierrez and carvalho hosken)
LEED: silver (draft)