A NEW LEAF FOR KAMPALA
redevelopment proposal for the Nakivubo War Memorial Stadium
Africa - Uganda - Kampala
Discipline: Architecture,Landscape Design
Categories: sport,leisure,park,transformation,city
Designer(s): Ivan Kato
Uganda Martyrs University
Faculty of the Built Environment
As the main administrative, commercial and transport hub of Uganda, Kampala is a destination and transit centre for hundred of thousands of people. For many, downtown Kampala is their destination, which over the time has become congested and increasingly prone to flooding, a consequence of increased paving across the city. Nakivubo War Memorial Stadium, the oldest Stadium in Uganda and once the flagship for soccer tournaments in the country stands in the midst of this. The Stadium has deteriorated over the years and is no longer the destination of choice for sports fans: congestion, and increased commercial and transport activities, not to mention the encroachment on pavements, streets and the Stadium’s grounds, making access and security a challenge.
This project seeks to redevelop the Nakivubo War Memorial Stadium into a world class stadium for the 21st century. The aim is to use redevelopment as a catalyst of positive change in the area that could be a step to revitalise and breath a new life into this area of Kampala. The proposed design is for a 25,000 seater multi purpose stadium for: football and rugby, as well as non sporting events such as concerts and exhibitions. The proposal also seeks to green and decongest downtown Kampala with a number of initiatives: the existing transport interchange to the north of the Stadium will be relocated to pave way for an urban park, a new green space for downtown Kampala to literally breath life into the city centre.
This green space will also provide extra sports grounds for soccer and basketball, as well as offer recreational space for downtown residents. A new transport interchange will accommodate buses and a new commuter rail station, in a bid to decongest in the city centre. The building form was inspired by Jorn Utzon’s theory of additive architecture explored in his key works including the Sydney Opera house, Australia and the Jedda Stadium in Saudi Arabia.
The stadium roof itself is inspired by broad leaves of tropical plants, the sweeping canopies providing shade to spectators, while also doubling as solar collectors. The estimated generation capacity of the 10 roof shells is 3MW per day. This is in excess of that required to run the Stadium; 70% of this energy could fed into the national grid.
Render From This Design