Gallery: Meet Mexico's Volcano-Inspired Soccer Stadium
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The Curtain Goes Up ------------------- Chivas officially opened the stadium on July 30 with a friendly against English Premier League powerhouse Manchester United. Chivas pulled out [a 3-2 victory](http://www.goal.com/en/news/1884/north-america/2010/07/31/2049619/pre-season-2010-chivas-3-2-manchester-united-javier) in front of a raucous, sellout crowd. As part of the arrangement [finalized in April](http://guadalajarareporter.com/sports-mainmenu-89/26618-manchester-united-set-guadalajara-date.html), new Man U striker (and former Chivas star) Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez got to play the first half for Chivas - and scored eight minutes into the match. Interestingly, Chicharito didn't score in the second half while playing with his new Manchester United teammates, and Estadio Omnilife's inauguration was officially complete. *Photo: [Marco Guzman, Jr](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Omnilife_Stadium.png)*
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Another Volcano Among Many -------------------------- The white outer rim of Estadio Omnilife is meant to resemble the rising smoke from a volcanic crater - perfectly appropriate once you realize that the Guadalajara metro area, with a population of roughly 5 million, sits [smack in the middle](http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/Volcanoes/Mexico/Maps/map_mexico_volcanoes.html) of the [Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trans-Mexican_Volcanic_Belt), or *Eje Volcánico Transversal*, as it's locally known. More than 20 volcanoes can be found along this 560-mile trail of activity caused by the subduction of the nearby [Cocos plate](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cocos_Plate), which runs down the Pacific Coast of Mexico and alongside Central America. *Photo: [oso88](http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=56349767&postcount=9157)*
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Always Have an Exit Plan ------------------------ Aside from the large, main entrance, Estadio Omnilife also features eight additional exits scattered around the periphery of the structure. The sport of soccer has had a long and infamous history with [stampeding](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/06/AR2010060603321.html) among cramped spaces, so officials guarantee that this new stadium can be safely evacuated (in the event of an emergency, natural or man-induced) in less than 8 minutes. *Photo: [oso88](http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=56349767&postcount=9157)*
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To All Those Who Enter ---------------------- Although there are plenty of buses going to and from the stadium - as well as new bike paths that have been erected, to ease congestion - there are some 5,000 parking spaces outside. Once you park and enter the 262-foot-wide main entrance, the stadium's interior boasts 850, up-to-32-inch high-def screens scattered throughout. Two energy-efficient, minimal-glare scoreboards visible from the playing field also provide highlights and replays for those in their seats. There's also room for 208 spectators with disabilities (and a companion), as well as 330 luxury boxes that can accommodate between nine and 13 patrons. And if you shell out for a luxury box, you can park underground and take one of six private elevators straight up to your designated stadium level. *Photo: [oso88](http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=56349767&postcount=9157)*
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Soccer Goes Green ----------------- Eventually, Estadio Omnilife will be encircled by some 753,000 square feet of green space, perfect for gatherings or post-match celebrations of all stripes. For now, much of the green still needs to be grown in, although the newly built rainwater-collecting irrigation system will handle that in time. (The treated water can also be routed to lakes both north and south of the stadium.) The grass on the playing field needs no such care, since it's an artificial turf called [Desso iDNA](http://www.dessosports.com/en/sports/football/football-projects/estadio-chivas/), which is composed of silica sand, artificial fibers, and the rubber from recycled athletic shoes. Another eco-friendly feature: water-less urinals for spectators. *Photo: [oso88](http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=56349767&postcount=9157)*
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Looking Toward the Future ------------------------- The project began in 2003, when the French architecture duo of Jean-Marie Massaud and Daniel Pouzet signed on to design and develop the mammoth soccer stadium, which is bordered by La Primavera Forest to the west and Guadalajara proper to the southeast. The construction of the behemoth was overseen by roughly 30 architects from the Mexican wing of HOK Sport, now owned by design firm [Populous](http://portfolio.populous.com/services/event.html) and regarded as the world's leading builder of stadia across the gamut of sports. *Photo: [Massaud](http://www.massaud.com/site/en/#/news/8480-29062010)*
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Sports stadia can take on all sorts of shapes and sizes, whether they be concrete, post-modern monstrosities or structures that hearken back to buildings long gone. (They can even resemble a gigantic [bird's nest](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beijing_National_Stadium).) But one French architecture firm has gone beyond retro or other classifications to channel Guadalajara's love of *fútbol* into the local surroundings and create Estadio Omnilife, a spanking new facility that's intended to evoke the aesthetics of a volcano rising from the countryside. __Above:__ The Jewel of Guadalajara ------------------------ Designed to hold more than 45,000 spectators for home matches featuring the [C.D. Guadalajara](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C.D._Guadalajara) soccer club - better known as Chivas - the stadium features numerous technological advances as well as green-friendly infrastructure seen in few other Mexican sports facilities. The Chivas club is owned by millionaire businessman [Jorge Vergara](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jorge_Vergara), who also owns clubs in Costa Rica and Major League Soccer in the United States. (Incidentally, the stadium is named after the nutritional supplement maker that Vergara owns.) *Photo: [oso88](http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=56349767&postcount=9157)*
