Architecture by Women: Špela Videčnik
This Slovenian architect used restriction as a starting point for her creativity with this spectacular new stadium
Football, like architecture has, until relatively recently, been seen as a male dominated sport. However the Slovenian architect Špela Videčnik, beat both gender biases by creating this stunning, ring-shaped Football Stadium Arena, in Borisov in Belarus.
“Videčnik established OFIS Architects in 1996 with Rok Oman after studying at Ljubljana School of Architecture and London’s Architectural Association,” explains our new book, Breaking Ground: Architecture by Women.
“The practice often employs a strategy of using restrictions as a starting point for creativity and innovation – hence its frequent participation in design competitions, resulting in projects such as 185 student housing units in Paris and the amorphous Borisov Football Stadium Arena.”
The stadium, which is home to local team FC BATE Borisov, lies about an hour north-east of the capital, Minsk, is situated in a fairly heavily wooded area. However, Videčnik and her team worked hard to ensure that that as few trees as possible were felled in order to make way for this bulbous, silvery building, which now accommodates 13,126 spectators.
It's one of more than 200 incredible buildings designed by women all over the world featured in our new a pioneering visual manifesto Breaking Ground: Architecture by Women.
Featuring twentieth-century icons such as Julia Morgan, Eileen Gray and Lina Bo Bardi, and the best contemporary talent, from Kazuyo Sejima to Elizabeth Diller and Grafton Architects, this book is a celebration of extraordinary architecture - all of it created by women.