Built in record time
The world’s best athletes inaugurated the new Letzigrund Stadium at the Weltklasse Zürich athletics meeting on 7 September 2007.
Designed by the architectural practices Bétrix & Consolascio and Frei & Ehrensperger, the arena was built in record time especially for the European Football Championship: the new Letzigrund was opened just 12 months after demolition of the old stadium.
A special characteristic is a covered ramp that runs around the inside of the stadium and leads to a restaurant eight metres above the ground. Apart from sporting events, the Letzigrund Stadium is also the setting for open-air concerts and other large-scale events.

“Prix Acier” for the best steel construction
The Letzigrund Stadium is not only this year’s largest steel construction in Switzerland, but also won the coveted “Prix Acier” for the best steel construction in 2007. Despite the many tonnes of steel used in its construction, the new building, designed by the architectural practices Bétrix & Consolascio and Frei & Ehrensperger, and the engineering office Walt & Galmarini, is graceful and light.
A special feature of the architecture is a ramp covered by a slightly buckled, sloping steel roof supported by struts. This ramp, which can be walked on, becomes a promenade from which the open space of the stadium can be experienced. The oval roof, with a surface area of 22,000 square metres, consists of 32 solid web trusses made of welded sheet metal, each supported by a traction-pressure prop, and with an overhang of up to 34 metres. The corten steel struts are fixed at the base and become slimmer towards the top.
The sophisticated calculation and execution of the complex roof demanded a maximum degree of creativity and precision from all involved; moreover, the work had to be accomplished under high cost and deadline pressure. The stadium is a demonstration of poetic sports architecture, which can be experienced as an urban space, and of the efficiency and professionalism of its execution.