Braga Municipal Stadium

The Braga Municipal Stadium is situated in the Dume Sports Park on the northern slope of Monte Crasto.

The location was chosen in order to avoid making a dam along the water's edge in the valley. The alternative would have been to move it further to the west up against the hill, like a Roman amphitheatre.

Nowadays football is big entertainment, hence the decision to have only two rows of seats.
Initially the roof was to look like a long continuous visor (ref. Siza/Expo), but it was eventually modelled on the Puruvian Inca bridges.

With a height of 40 meters, the stadium will be up against two squares with the same sloping. This will enable the stadium building to serve as an anchor point for any future development in the area as the city expands northwards.
To the south, the same applied 20 years ago to the Carandá market. Today, it is being amputeted to save it from succombing to gangrene.

Photograph by: Christian Richters
Paulo Catrica

Source: Mies Arch Prize: http://www.miesarch.com/