Clad in Superwhite Retro bricks and positioned in the middle of the town, this new football stadium became an architectural monument for the people of Tampere and unlocked new opportunities for the sport.
It is an outstanding building: combining a football stadium with housing and commerce in the middle of a city, while catching the eye with its bright white architectural appearance. The New Tammela Stadium in Tampere is Finland’s first hybrid football stadium and quickly became an urban landmark.
Having served as a football pitch since the 1930s, the city wanted to retain its original location while increasing the density of the Tammela district. JKMM Architects won the 2014 competition with “Hat-trick,” a concept that integrates a UEFA-compliant, high-capacity stadium – with 8,000 unobstructed-view seats – together with housing and commercial spaces, efficiently woven into the dense urban fabric.
“We called it a ‘miniature city’: a place where everyday life, sport, and commerce intertwine,” said Samuli Miettinen, founding partner and principal designer at JKMM. In that spirit, the team followed the city’s goal of ensuring a vibrant everyday life, not just on match days. Positioned along the outer edge of the stadium block, the residential buildings create a smooth transition between the stadium and the surrounding urban fabric.
With mixed uses in mind, noise was a major consideration. The architects designed the stadium to contain sound within, then added multiple insulating measures: a 50 mm air gap and independent exterior walls separate the residences from the stadium. Concrete inner shells and soundproof windows ensure that even the closest apartments meet the city’s strict limits of 35 dB during the day and 30 dB at night, providing residents with quiet comfort.
The brickwork unifies the complex, mediating between its varied uses and giving the stadium a coherent visual identity. Crafted in a single, continuous material, the shell allows the stadium to harmonize with the finer grain of the urban fabric of Tampere’s Tammela district. Clad entirely in wienerberger’s specially manufactured Superwhite Retro bricks, the building takes on a sculptural character. By setting the joints about 10 millimetres deeper than the brick face, the rhythm of the masonry is accentuated, creating a subtle shadow play that makes the structure’s mass feel tactile.
From afar, the stadium appears as a luminous, monolithic volume; up close, the detail work draws the eye into its crafted depth. “The material palette played a central role. The light-toned bricks give the block a distinctive yet approachable character, softening the scale of the large hybrid structure,” the architect explains. Its distinctive arched rooflines are visible from a distance, giving the stadium a striking profile, while suspended glass bridges over the entrances shield it from the wind. “It has been a genuine joy for us to help create a more sustainable urban future for Tampere. Our joy is reflected in the smiling roofs that top the stands,” said Miettinen.
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