stadiums past and present, an exhibition at the olympic museum in lausanne

‘stadiums past and future’ is an exhibition running at the olympic museum in the lakeside city of lausanne in switzerland. the museum itself permanently holds an archive on olympic athletes, architects and is fittingly located in the home of the international olympic committee headquarters. the temporary exhibition that opens until may 7th 2017, examines stadium architecture to tell the story of these great structures dating back to ancient greece to the olympic arenas of the 20th and 21st centuries, of their social role and the great architects who designed them.

the olympic museum, lausanne, switzerland
image © designboom

visitors to the the olympic museum are taken on a visual journey using film, imagery, architectural models and interactive media to understand how stadiums stand out as temples of sport that display great architectural virtuosity. an interactive architectural model of the most famous stadium in the world –-the colosseum-– demonstrates the ancient amphitheater’s achievement in engineering and architecture. along with the stadium at olympia and the roman arenas, these vast stone edifices offer lasting proof of the place of sport, the societies that made them and most of all, what we can learn from these buildings for the future.

the munich olympic stadium designed by frei otto and gunther behnisch
image © CIO munich 1972

‘a stadium, more than any other building type in history has the ability to shape a town or city. a stadium, is able to put a community on the map, establishing an identity and providing a focal point in the landscape.’ – rod sheard, architect and senior principal, populous architects

the exhibit is split into three areas: the past, the present, the future and tomorrow
image © CIO mexico 1968

as the exhibition unfolds, the story of the sacred sites of ancient greece to tokyo’s future stadium for the 2020 olympics is told. visitors learn that the architecture of stadiums presently and in the future are expected to be sustainable, multi-use, safe and has the power to transform the city’s infrastructure and regenerate forgotten areas. by examining the long process from the drawing board to the construction, it is possible to learn how stadiums exist in family of singular structures that evolve into unique architectural landmarks.

the third section of the exhibit looks at the future of stadiums
image © cabinet NBBJ

the final part introduces examples of radical, utopian cities and buildings. for instance, a flying stadium –the airship stadium of world peace– was honored in a ‘stadium of tomorrow’ architecture contest organized by the populous agency in korea in 2012. this highly imaginative project is based around the concept of a floating stadium that can travel around the host country and move from country to country.

‘stadiums past and present’ is opened until may 7th 2017, and coinciding with this, the olympic museum has launched a book, an online game and multiple workshops for schoolchildren.

the ‘nation stadium’ for the beijing 2008 olympics designed by herzog and de meuron
image © CIO beijing 2008