Firminy-Vert Stadium, Modernist stadium in Firminy, France.
Firminy-Vert Stadium is a modernist sports venue built into a former quarry slope, accommodating about 3,800 spectators with roughly 500 covered seats. The concrete terraces follow the natural slope of the terrain, creating a structure that sits integrated within the landscape.
The design was created in 1954, though construction did not begin until 1966 and was completed in 1968 under the direction of Fernand Gardien and André Wogenscky. The gap between conception and building reveals how the modernist quarter developed over time.
The stadium belongs to a group of modernist buildings in Firminy that relate to each other through their shared architectural language and urban setting. Walking between the stadium and nearby structures reveals how these buildings work together as a unified composition.
Access to the stadium is by way of a boulevard leading to the upper seating areas, allowing visitors to walk through the sloped structure. Wear suitable shoes since the inclined surfaces can be slippery, particularly after rain.
The structure was built into an abandoned quarry pit, using the existing ground formations as a natural foundation. This approach to landscape integration shows how modernist architecture can work with rather than against existing terrain.
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