Everything works in harmony

Champions League

The Itaka Arena meets UEFA Cate­gory 3 stan­dards, making it eligible to host Cham­pions League and Europa League quali­fi­ca­tion matches. With 11,600 seats, the stadium takes on a compact, dynamic form with a clear archi­tec­tural struc­ture. Its cons­truc­tion rests on 130 supporting columns, which not only bear the load but also convey a sense of open­ness and light­ness.

The stadium was desi­gned by 90 Archi­tekci and GMT, with the signa­ture membrane façade provided by Serge Ferrari.

Membrane as a Design Element

The most striking feature of the Itaka Arena is its outer shell: 11,000 m² of Serge Ferrari’s Tenseo Frontside GFM 21 stret­ches over the gently curved steel struc­ture. The membrane gives the stadium a sense of light­ness and dyna­mism, appearing almost to float, and imparts an inde­pen­dent, elegant line to the archi­tec­ture.

During the day, the trans­pa­rent mate­rial creates a harmo­nious play of light and shadow, while at night it trans­forms into an impres­sive projec­tion surface that show­cases the stadium.

The choice of Tenseo Frontside GFM 21 was not purely aesthetic. The mate­rial is weather- and UV-resistant, durable, and excep­tio­nally light­weight. Thanks to its low weight, the Itaka Arena requires only a minimal supporting struc­ture. This reduces mate­rial use, lowers the carbon foot­print, and supports the ambi­tious sustaina­bi­lity goals of the project. The membrane was installed by the Polish specia­list company PBU Pion.

Sustainability and Energy Efficiency

A key focus in plan­ning the Itaka Arena was meeting today’s ecolo­gical stan­dards while ensu­ring long-term cost-effi­cient opera­tion. Large photo­vol­taic panels on the roof gene­rate rene­wable energy, while modern heat pumps provide both heating and cooling. The system is comple­mented by combined heat and power plants, allo­wing highly effi­cient coge­nera­tion.

This approach not only produces elec­tri­city but also makes use of the resul­ting (waste) heat, signi­fi­cantly incre­asing overall effi­ci­ency.

In addi­tion, the arena features compre­hen­sive rain­water manage­ment. Large reten­tion basins collect preci­pi­ta­tion, which is then used to irri­gate the pitch, surroun­ding green areas, and even for toilet flus­hing.

Energy effi­ci­ency was also a prio­rity in the tech­nical equip­ment: modern audio, video, and lighting systems operate resource-effi­ci­ently without compro­mi­sing quality or the spec­tator expe­ri­ence. The overall concept makes the Itaka Arena nearly energy self-suffi­cient while redu­cing both opera­ting costs and its ecolo­gical foot­print.

Architecture, Function, and Symbolism

The shape of the roof is inspired by the stage of Poland’s most important music festival, the Krajowy Festiwal Piosenki Polskiej, which will now take place in this stadium. This creates a strong connec­tion between sport, culture, and the city’s history.

The distinc­tive curves of the membrane not only give the arena an elegant and powerful appearance but also ensure optimal venti­la­tion of the inte­rior. This contri­butes to a comfor­table climate inside the stadium and plays a crucial role in the healthy growth of the pitch.

Ever­y­thing works toge­ther seam­lessly: the modern membrane tech­no­logy enables a confi­dent, inde­pen­dent archi­tec­tural expres­sion while supporting a compre­hen­sive concept of usage and sustaina­bi­lity.