The Wanda Metropolitano is a sports venue owned by Atlético Madrid and one of the most modern stadiums in the whole world. It's located on Avenida de Luis Aragonés, named after one of the club's greatest ever players and managers.
With seating for 68,456 people, it was opened on 16 September 2017 and saw the home team beat Málaga.
We had everything ready for the big day, including signage to help fans easily move around the facilities and various visual interventions inside and outside the stadium.
The challenge wasn't small: we were invited to create the identity of an iconic venue that would become a brand new temple for lifelong supporters (somewhat reluctant to so many changes), younger members (who were more open to the overhaul) and for the sponsor. How did we combine such disparate approaches in the same proposal?
Our proposal fused the history of the two Metropolitanos (the current one and the one that hosted Atlético matches between 1923 and 1966) with a commitment to a contemporary language.
For the creation of the logo, we drew inspiration from tickets for matches at the former Metropolitano and the idiosyncrasy of the football club, in addition to the common denominator that the identity of the world's most iconic buildings in the world tend to have.
The result was a logo based on a revival Art Deco font (Mostra Nuova), an isotype that abstractly reinterprets the stadium's overhang and profile while integrating the sponsor's identity.
We ended up taking care of all the signage and the wayfinding of the stadium that would allow visitors to easily find their way around this "multiprogrammed" space, which was designed to host not just Atlético games, but also many other events and shows.
As for the exteriors of the Metropolitano Wanda, we also left our mark with a huge sign displaying the words 'Courage and Heart', which the fans used as an improvised photo backdrop during the first Atlético match at their new stadium. Posters, feather banners and retro-style shirts in homage to the old Metropolitano were used as an invitation to the opening of the new stadium.
We might not be engineers or architects or builders, but we do know that this whole process of conceptualisation, visualisation, design, intervention and integration has made a building become a home from home for all Atlético Madrid fans.
