University Catholic Stadium Modernization by IDOM – A Sustainable Transformation of Chile’s Iconic San Carlos de Apoquindo

The University Catholic Stadium Modernization Project, designed by IDOM, redefines the historic San Carlos de Apoquindo Stadium in Las Condes, Santiago de Chile. Originally inaugurated in 1988, the stadium occupies a dramatic site between the Andes foothills and Manquehue Hill, partially embedded into the sloping terrain. The modernization responds to the club’s ambition to elevate the venue from a traditional football ground to a contemporary, multifunctional, and sustainably engineered arena capable of year-round activity.

A Competition-Winning Design for a New Era of Sporting Architecture

To increase capacity from 12,000 to 20,000 spectators and enhance global-quality infrastructure, the club commissioned a design competition. IDOM’s winning proposal reimagines the stadium as a flexible, climate-responsive, and technologically advanced venue, integrating modern hospitality, media facilities, and community-oriented spaces.

The design had to respect the footprint of the original building while introducing new circulation, accessibility, upgraded viewing conditions, and spaces that allow the stadium to function as a multipurpose civic hub beyond match days.

Strategy: Preserve the Past, Build Lightly Above

IDOM chose a rational and sustainable strategy, preserving the vast majority of the existing concrete structure—still healthy and structurally sound—while constructing a new perimeter boulevard at the Fouilloux level.

• Below the boulevard: the original stands and circulation systems remain.
• Above it: a new lightweight, permeable superstructure houses expanded seating, boxes, hospitality zones, and technical spaces.

This approach minimizes demolition, reduces environmental impact, and honors the character of the historic bowl while opening new space for vertical expansion.

Geometry, Sightlines, and Enhanced User Experience

The renovated stadium adopts a rectangular configuration, ideal for football, optimizing sightlines and spatial efficiency. Remarkably, 95% of the original sightlines are preserved.

The corners become signature multifunctional spaces, serving as access nodes and vantage points with panoramic views toward both the field and the surrounding Andean landscape. These rooms are designed to function independently on match days, supporting conferences, events, and community programs.

In the Livingstone sector, the expansion grows both above and below the boulevard, integrating:

• Locker rooms
• Press and media facilities
• Premium hospitality
• Technical and operations areas

Material Logic: Concrete, Steel, and Laminated Wood in Harmony

The structural and material palette emphasizes minimal intervention and maximum efficiency:

Structural Framework

• Existing concrete retained as primary structural support
• New concrete beams and columns articulate the expansion around the bowl
• Corners use hybrid inverted concrete + steel systems, optimizing force distribution and respecting height restrictions

Envelope Design

The stadium’s façade balances aesthetics, performance, and environmental comfort:

• Laminated radiata pine vertical slats spaced at one-meter intervals
• Integrated LED lighting for night-time identity
• Orientation-specific design incorporating solar frames, acoustic treatments, and ventilation openings
• A continuous concrete base strip grounding the façade composition

Roof Structure

Designed for seismic resilience, the roof uses:

• Laminated wood beams spanning 17 m at the rear
• Three-dimensional steel + wood structures spanning up to 31 m at the sides
• Lightweight metal sheeting and TPO waterproofing

The hybrid roof system takes advantage of the flexural performance of wood, reducing the need for steel connections and decreasing embodied carbon.

Sustainability & Circularity – A New Benchmark for Stadium Design

The modernization embeds deep sustainability principles across the project:

• Reuse of the existing concrete structure
• Recycling of steel from the old roof
• Recycling of plastic from outdated seats
• Minimized excavation and footprint
• Optimized energy and water systems
• Use of 1,600 m³ of Chilean laminated wood that stores over 1,500 tons of CO₂

Beyond environmental metrics, the project stimulates local industry, strengthens circular economies, and positions wood as a viable structural material for large-scale public buildings in Chile.

All the Photographs are works of Cristóbal Palma