FC Lugano’s new home is taking shape as a stadium built to sit low in the landscape rather than rise above it. The Arena Sportiva, the centerpiece of Lugano’s new Polo Sportivo e degli Eventi, is designed to hold roughly 8,200 spectators while blending into the Cassarate Valley through a horizontal form, a large continuous roof and a transparent perimeter, according to the project description shared with gooood.
Construction on the project runs from 2019 to 2026, following a competition held in 2013. The stadium is being developed on a plot of 20,221 square meters at Via Giacomo e Filippo Ciani 67 in Lugano, Switzerland, for the Città di Lugano and HRS Real Estate AG, with Football Club Lugano and the city as its users.
A roof and facade that keep the valley in view
According to *gooood*, the stadium’s most striking feature is its design: a single continuous roof covers the stands, and the outer walls are mostly transparent, keeping the field open to the area around it and the public. The architects describe the building as blending into the valley with its horizontal architecture rather than dominating it.
To keep the structure from reading as a massive wall, the stands slope downward from the main entrance level toward the pitch, which minimizes their visual bulk. An upper ring channels spectator flow around the bowl and keeps the connection between the field and the outside environment open at all times.
Separated routes for fans, players, press and VIPs
Inside, the layout is organized around separation of movement. The design sets distinct routes for spectators, players, the press, staff, security and VIP areas, so match-day crowds never cross paths with team operations or media. Circulation beneath the stands and an entrance stair rising from street level feed the upper concourse, where fans can look out through the transparent enclosure toward the trees and hillside around the ground.
Concrete base, metal frame, lightweight skin
Structurally, the stadium combines a concrete base with metal columns and a metal roof, while a lightweight envelope wraps the whole and reinforces the sense of transparency. Interior design is by CBA Clemens Bachmann Architekten, structural engineering by Fürst-Laffranchi Bauingenieure GmbH, and photography of the completed design by Fernando Alda.
Energy strategy built around Lake Lugano
The project’s energy plan leans on its setting. It pairs an energy-efficient envelope with a connection to the urban heat-exchange network that uses water from Lake Lugano, LED lighting, and a large photovoltaic system integrated into the roof. The architects frame the result as a compact, flexible structure closely linked to the urban context of Lugano.
Who designed it and who is building it
The design is by Cruz y Ortiz Arquitectos SLP of Seville working with Giraudi Radczuweit Architetti Sagl of Lugano. The Cruz y Ortiz team is led in Seville by Antonio Cruz and Antonio Ortiz, with Blanca Sánchez as project director and David de Cos directing the Lugano office; the Giraudi Radczuweit team is led by Sandra Giraudi and Thomas Radczuweit.
Flexibility beyond match days
Beyond football, the approximately 8,200-seat capacity is designed to accommodate other uses and configurations, so the venue can function as part of the wider sports and events center rather than only on match days. That adaptability is part of why the project was conceived as one key element of the Polo Sportivo e degli Eventi rather than a standalone ground.
Questions readers ask about Lugano’s new stadium
How many fans will the new FC Lugano stadium hold? The project credits list a capacity of about 8,200 to 8,300 spectators on a plot of 20,221 square meters in Lugano, Switzerland.
When was the stadium designed and when is it being built? The design won a competition in 2013, and the project’s design and construction window runs from 2019 to 2026.
Which architects are behind the Arena Sportiva? Cruz y Ortiz Arquitectos SLP, based in Seville, is working with Giraudi Radczuweit Architetti Sagl of Lugano on the stadium.
What makes the stadium’s design unusual for its setting? The stands step down from the entrance level toward the pitch and the roof is a single continuous plane with a transparent perimeter, a combination intended to reduce the building’s visual mass in the Cassarate Valley.
How is the stadium heated and powered? The energy strategy connects the building to an urban heat-exchange network using Lake Lugano water and adds a large roof-integrated photovoltaic system alongside LED lighting.
The project remains under construction through 2026, so the confirmed next checkpoint is the completion of the Arena Sportiva as part of Lugano’s new Polo Sportivo e degli Eventi.
