Stade de la Licorne / Licorne Stadium
Amiens, France
Atelier d'Architecture Chaix & Morel et Associés

An expandable stadium brings the intimacy and excitement of soccer back to the fans

© Xaviers Testelin

For more photos click on 'photos & drawings' above. To see the people and products behind this project click on 'people & products.'

By Claire Downey

When the rainy, northern French city of Amiens decided in 1995 to build a new soccer stadium, it planned for the big time. Although its soccer team was a Division Two club, it hoped to move up to Division One, an elevation in rank that would require the city to expand the 12,000-seat Licorne Stadium to 20,000 seats.

The design developed by Chaix & Morel works from the ground up, literally. To stabilize the soil, the architects dug wells in a grid pattern under the grass and filled each with rock and gravel. Supporting the stadium itself are concrete piles sunk deep into the site. The architects used a simple rectangular plan for the stadium, eliminating any superfluous structure and minimizing the building's weight. The ticket office, dressing rooms, VIP boxes, press booths, and all administrative services are located in a three-story pavilion on the western side of the stadium. Refreshment stands and a continuous circulation corridor run under the bleachers.

In section, the project strikes a memorable profile against the stone and medieval buildings of Amiens. On the inside, steep, uniform concrete seating acts as both bench and stair. The seating is divided into four sections, one on each side of the playing field. To allow daylight in and to block wind and rain, the architects designed two pairs of curving glass-and-steel wings that rise above the four sections of seating. Arching steel ribs, 26 feet (8 meters) on center, support the glass, along with horizontal steel tubes running between each rib in a series of "ladders." The four glass wings, which don't touch at the corners, allow air to circulate between the seating areas and provide access to the field at the ground level. From outside Licorne Stadium, the wings appear to float above a recessed first-level wall, painted sky blue. Lighting for night games is attached to the upper edge of the arc, 85 feet (26 meters) above the field.

If Amiens moves up to the big league, it can add 8,000 seats with minimal expense by inserting balconies between the curving steel ribs above the existing seating. The connecting detail to hook the balconies onto the ribs has already been designed, and the existing structure has been built to handle the extra weight.

See the August 2001 issue of Architectural Record for full coverage of this project.

Formal name of building:
Stade de la Licorne / Licorne Stadium

Location:
Amiens, France

Gross square footage:
12,000 seats expandable to 20,000 seats

Total construction cost:
$12 million

Owner:
Ville d'Amiens

Architect's firm:
Atelier d'Architecture Chaix & Morel et Associés
16 Rue des Haies
75020 Paris
tel : 01 43 70 69 24
fax : 01 43 70 67 65