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Kosovo National Stadium by Tabanlioglu Architects

Tabanlioglu Architects designs national stadium for Kosovo

The 30,000-capacity Kosovo National Stadium, which will be located in Drenas, will become the new home for the Kosovo national football team.

The stadium, which will be built around 12 miles from the country's capital Pristina, has been designed to bring the people of Kosovo together.

Kosovo National Stadium by Tabanlioglu Architects

"The new urban structure will be a bridge for people, uniting them through the joy of sports," said Murat Tabanlioglu, founder of Istanbul studio Tabanlioglu Architects.

"Reflecting the contemporary and multiethnic identity of Kosovo, the stadium will bring 30,000 people together. As Kosovo recently emerged from a civil war, interaction between people is important," he told Dezeen.

Kosovo National Stadium by Tabanlioglu Architects

Kosovo National Stadium will be the home of the country's national football team.

The team was formally recognised by European football administrative body UEFA and international body FIFA in 2016, following the country's declaration of independence from Serbia in 2008.

The team currently play at the 13,000-seat Fadil-Vokrri stadium, but as the sport is growing in popularity a larger venue was required. The national stadium will be built to meet current FIFA and UEFA requirements for hosting international matches.

Kosovo National Stadium by Tabanlioglu Architects

"The dynamic and young population creates a strong demand for sports, recreation and social events," added Tabanlioglu.

"The new national stadium is seen as an urgent need in the field of football as also the national team is getting more and more successful."

Kosovo National Stadium by Tabanlioglu Architects

The stadium will be constructed from a series of concrete A-frames, which will support the seating bowl and a lightweight steel frame holding up the stadium's structural fabric facade.

"The facade of the stadium is shielded by a flexible textile material in harmony with the natural park adjoining this large structure, thus visually splitting the large scale and mass of the stadium, so that the structure behaves as a thin curtain between the park and the sky," explained Tabanlioglu.

Kosovo National Stadium by Tabanlioglu Architects

The stadium will be built alongside two training pitches and as well as a group of buildings housing shopping and entertainment facilities.

A park for open-air events and concerts is also being built as part of the plan.

New stadiums are being built to host football all around the world. Earlier this year the Zaha Hadid Architects-designed Al Wakrah Stadium completed in Qatar and Populous completed a stadium in London for football club Tottenham Hotspur.

More images and plans

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Kosovo National Stadium by Tabanlioglu Architects
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Kosovo National Stadium by Tabanlioglu Architects
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Kosovo National Stadium by Tabanlioglu Architects