La Romareda Stadium

Spain

IDOM provides the integrated design, project management, and construction supervision for the Nueva Romareda Stadium, a new sports venue conceived as the home of Real Zaragoza and as one of the host venues for the FIFA World Cup 2030, with an approximate capacity of 43,114 spectators.

The design addresses the key aspects that define contemporary stadiums, including:

• Achieving the best possible football atmosphere to deliver a fully immersive spectator experience.
• Transforming Nueva Romareda into a stadium capable of hosting top-tier international competitions.
• Serving as a benchmark for sustainability.
• Incorporating the most advanced technologies in safety and broadcast systems.
• Establishing the new stadium as the home of Real Zaragoza and as one of Zaragoza’s defining landmark. A stadium for Real Zaragoza, for Zaragoza, and for Aragón.

Concept

A fundamental starting point was the clear decision to design a stadium that engages with the city, one that integrates into its urban fabric while responding to its geographical context.

The stadium site is shaped by the Ebro Valley, where one of the peninsula’s prevailing winds, the cierzo, plays a decisive role. This natural condition became a key driver of the design.

“By observing its flows, we have eroded both the stadium and its roof, shaping them as fluid, dynamic elements. The volume deforms to create concave forms to the north and south, widening the surrounding urban space, and convex forms to the east and west, opening towards Plaza Eduardo Ibarra and Paseo de Isabel la Católica,” explains César Azcárate, Director of Sports & Events at IDOM.

The presence of Parque Grande José Antonio Labordeta and Plaza Eduardo Ibarra is reinforced through the introduction of vegetation in the urban void between the park and the new stadium, strengthening their connection. Stadium, plaza, and park merge to form spaces that belong not only to the stadium but to the city as a whole.

The compactness of the volume and the uniformity of the façade have been key to materialising the new stadium, given the diversity of uses —sports and mixed-use— that it will accommodate.

The roof is conceived as a lightweight element that conveys movement while providing protection to the west and opening views to the east, offering a design that is fully rooted in Zaragoza. It covers 100% of the seating bowl and extends outward to the building’s perimeter, creating a continuous 360º concourse beneath it, from which both the city and the interior of the stadium can be enjoyed simultaneously.

By day, the façade appears calm and composed; by night, it becomes vibrant and dynamic. Light interacts with the double skin and the roof, projecting interior activity outward and allowing the spectator to become part of that atmosphere.

The proposal includes premium seating areas on the first level, VIP boxes and a presidential box on the second level, as well as a Pitch Club with views of the players’ tunnel.

The bowl, or seating tier, is conceived as the heart of the stadium, the essential space where fans experience the spectacle. Following multiple geometric iterations, it has been designed to be highly compact and close to the pitch, with the aim of intensifying the atmosphere during matches.

Construction Development

Construction of the new stadium has been organised into phases through independent tenders, allowing works to proceed while maintaining Real Zaragoza’s sporting activity:

• Phase 1A: Demolition of the south stand and execution of excavation and foundations for the new south stand. Completed.
• Phase 1B: Construction of basements and the first seating tier of the south stand. Completed.
• Phase 2: Demolition of the remaining existing stadium and full construction of Nueva Romareda. Currently underway.

Current Status and Outlook

At present, the foundations for all seating tiers have been completed, and basement works are highly advanced across most of the site. The bowl structure at ground level has already been executed in the south, east, and north areas, clearly revealing the stadium’s final geometry.

The south stand structure is fully completed, while the east, north, and west stands are progressing at various stages of structural and façade development.

Phase 2 continues with the objective of enabling Real Zaragoza to return to Nueva Romareda for the 2027–2028 season, and of ensuring the stadium is fully operational as a host venue for the FIFA World Cup 2030.

Fire engineering : Lighting design : Sports & Events