Two missions in three decades. Mexican businessman Alejandro Soberon KuriCEO of the Mexican organizer OCESA, asked the architect Pepe Moyao In 1993, Moyao built an arena for a show by British legend Paul McCartney on a simple soccer field in eastern Mexico City. It later became the legendary Foro Sol. Thirty years later, Moyao was commissioned to remodel the same arena to transform it into the new Estadio GNP Seguros.
“Don’t you want to see a permanent building here? Why don’t you do it? When it’s finished, I’ll pay for it!” Moyao remembers Soberón saying when he invited him to implement the original project.
Interestingly, it was not the ex-Beatle who finally inaugurated the stadium in 1993, but Madonna, who was on tour with the Girlie Show at the time to promote her album. eroticismFour years later, in 1997, it was renamed Foro Sol and its opening under this name was celebrated with a concert by rock icon David Bowie. Since then, countless international stars have performed at this venue.
But Moyao, who was in his thirties at the time and had won an architecture competition for young people organized by UNESCO a decade earlier, built not only Mexico’s most important music forum but also a venue for events beyond concerts.
“From the beginning, I thought that there would be room for a baseball stadium here that would also fit a race track, so I thought about creating a multifunctional building in which the stage changes, is removed, is moved,” explains the architect. “For six years, this place has been considered the best F1 race track in the world.”
This year, after a six-month renovation, the prestigious Estadio GNP Seguros opened its doors with three major concerts by American pop star Bruno Mars, which took place on August 8, 10 and 11, each of which was attended by 65,000 people, according to OCESA.
Subsequently, a number of international stars will perform at the stadium in the coming weeks and months, including Metallica, Paul McCartney, The Killers, Eric Clapton, Twenty One Pilots and Iron Maiden, as well as Latin stars such as Feid and Natanael Cano. (For a list of concerts scheduled in Mexico this year, click here.)
Here are five things you should know about the Estadio GNP Seguros, told by Billboard Spanish by its creator, the architect Pepe Moyao.
1. A multifunctional venue
Since its opening, when it was still called Foro Sol, the venue was designed as a multi-purpose building, capable of adapting to the needs of the event, be it a mega rock concert or the F1 home in Mexico.
“It’s a multifunctional building where the stage changes, is removed and moved. It has been awarded six times as the best Formula 1 circuit in the world and it is the only circuit where 30,000 people can watch the awards ceremony from the front, not in the pits like in other countries,” says Moyao. “After Formula 1 ends, you can convert it and host a concert, it’s multifunctional. It’s a unique place in the world, a stadium designed exclusively for entertainment.”
2. Rainwater reuse
With a capacity of up to 65,000 visitors, the stadium offers new benefits for greater comfort and service for fans, including a new 13,800 square meter roof to provide sun protection and to store rainwater for later reuse.
“The square has been expanded with more than 33,000 square meters of additional building space. From the stands, we have a roof of over 13,000 square meters where rainwater is collected. The collected water is channeled into a cistern that supplies the bathrooms, is used for washing and for watering flower pots, so we can reuse the water,” explains the architect.
3. More comfort for the viewer
The redesigned venue features more comfortable seating for the audience as well as new and improved areas for the general public and businesses.
“Before, people in the stands had to go down about 9.5 meters to get to the toilets. Now it’s only 3 meters,” explains Moyao. “So you could say that everything is designed for people’s greater comfort.”
4. Cutting-edge technology
More than 280 state-of-the-art screens have been installed in the venue to improve the visualization of the shows and provide visitors with more up-to-date information, along with internal and peripheral stadium lighting for better visibility and safety.
“All electrical and hydraulic installations are up to date, nothing old has been retained. There are LED lamps and low-power appliances,” said the architect.
5. 177 days of construction and other figures
Although the Estadio GNP Seguros renovation project lasted about two years, the actual reconstruction took 177 days. In addition, Moyao points out that over 710,000 man-hours were spent on it; the work of about 1,000 people; 15 companies worked simultaneously. During this time, 24,436 bucket seats were installed.
