Gran Canaria is bidding to become one of the host venues for the 2030 FIFA World Cup, which will take place in Spain, Portugal, and Morocco. The objective of the Island Council is to adapt the existing stadium to FIFA requirements while providing the island with a modern and iconic venue, transforming an “unfinished space” into a major football stadium. The winning competition proposal was “La Nube” (“The Cloud”), presented by L35 Architects and Estudio 0710. INES Ingenieros joined the project team as structural consultant, together with Schlaich Bergermann Partner.

At present, the stadium consists of a collection of buildings resulting from successive interventions that lack both functional and formal unity. The new project is structured around an exceptional roof and façade: the “cloud”, which envelops and unifies the interior space.

The project envisages increasing the stadium capacity from the current 32,400 seats to nearly 44,500 during the World Cup. As this figure would be excessive for the stadium’s future operation, a temporary removable stand has been planned for the south end, designed to be relocated to another site afterwards.

The intervention also incorporates new uses and facilities, including a Canarian Sports Museum, restaurants, a Sports Bar for non-matchday use, and a venue dedicated to the practice of other sports.

The tensile roof is supported by a perimeter of vertical supports and five bracing systems designed to resist horizontal forces. These elements, together with the façade supports, present numerous interferences with the existing structures and foundations. Other major structural challenges are related to the geometric transformation of the stadium and bringing the stands closer to the pitch.