Last week, the city of Guadalajara opened a new volcano-like soccer stadium that is veritably exploding with green features!

 

Created for the popular Chivas team by French architects Jean-Marie Massaud and Daniel Pouzet, the eco-friendly stadium features a volcano-evoking exterior that captures rainwater and processes it through wetlands for use in watering the pitch. All lighting is energy efficient, and the parking garage features natural ventilation.

In a way, it seems our ability to create buildings that blend in with their surroundings is the ultimate test of our willingness to accept that we are part of nature. And, in Mexico — as in Italy — blending in means looking volcanic.

The stadium, which hosted its first match at the end of July, consists of a white membrane — intended to look like a cloud hovering atop the volcano — and grassy sloped sides. It seats 45,000 and tucks away 8,500 parking spaces under the hillside, which will be open as public parkland when there’s no match on. (As grass and trees grow in, it will be a little more appealing than it is now.)