Fresh Builds: 15 Awesome Stadiums You Need To See

Who doesn't like stadiums? The thrill of the crowd, a fresh hot dog, and the spirit of competition combine to make sporting arenas and stadiums the most dynamic of all civic buildings. From retro-inspired football stadiums to green gridirons, these are a handful of the most intriguing new facilities completed in the last 2 years.

You'll notice a reoccurring name, Populous, throughout. Founded in 1983, the firm has produced some of the most iconic recent stadiums and arenas, including Yankee Stadium, London's Olympic Stadium, and Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Here we put the spotlight on lesser known, freshly constructed Populous designs and put them in context with their competition.

Fresh Builds: 15 Awesome Stadiums You Need To See

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Location: Louisville, Kentucky

Architect: Populous

The oldest arena on our list, the KFC Yum! Center is affectionately known as the bucket. Home to the University of Louisville basketball team, the arena opened in October of 2010 and is currently the 5th largest college hoops facility in the nation with just over 20,000 seats.

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Location: Lviv, Ukraine

Architect: Albert Wimmer

One of the host venues of Euro 2012, Arena Lviv seats 35,000. Architect Albert Wilmmer brought specters as close to the field as possible, making it one of the most intimate off all new stadiums.

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Location: Houston, Texas

Architect: Popolous

Houston's latest stadium is the newest soccer-specific arena in the United States. The facade reflects the industrial heritage of East Downtown through the use of expanded metal mesh and organ polycarbonate. Christopher Lee, designer of Arsenal's Emirates Stadium, handled this build for his firm, Populous.

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Location: Kansas City, Missouri

Architect: Populous

Kansas City's dedicated soccer stadium opened last June, giving the city's MLS franchise a true home after years of toil in Arrowhead Stadium and CommunityAmerica Ballpark.

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Location: Beijing, China

Architect: Atelier 11

The Diamond Arena opened officially on September 25, 2011, playing host to the China Open 2011. Designed by Atelier 11, the facility seats 15,000 and is fitted with the largest collapsible steel roof in Asia (it takes 12 minutes to open). Other notable features include a circular observation deck which allows visitors full view of the neighboring Olympic Park.

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Location: Guadalajara, Mexico

Architect: Jean Marie Massaud & Daniel Pouzet

Home to the mighty Chivas, this place looks like a volcano! It was completed after initial design from Jean Marie Massaud & Daniel Pouzet by the mighty Populous in 2010. One of the most amazing new soccer stadiums in the world.

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Location: Arlington, Texas

Architect: HKS

Most important event at this newborn arena? Drake's visit on March 3, 2012. Its one of the 10 new venues reshaping national music tours (according to Billboard). The College Park Center typically hosts University of Texas at Arlington basketball games though.

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Location: Miami, Florida

Architect: Populous

You may notice an architectural trend on this list. Populous is responsible for a large amount of arenas around the world (including London's Olympic stadium. The firm's work for Miami's new Marlins Park is one of the most contemporary designs in Major League Baseball. The idea is to tie the team to Miami's rising position as an international art capital. In that, Marlins Park rejects the retro inspiration of ballparks that have opened in the past 20 years and blazes a new course.

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Location: Boca Raton, Florida

Architect: HKS

Florida Atlantic University Stadium opened last October, and is the first building in the university's Innovation Village. The stadium seats 30,000 Owl faithful on game days.

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Location: Denton, Texas

Architect: HKS

At University of North Texas, the Mean Green have made a firm environmental stand. Their new Apogee Stadium, the first LEED Platinum football field in the US, generates power from wind turbines and utilizes new energy efficient lighting.

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Location: Perth, Australia

Architect: Ashton Raggatt McDougall, Cameron Chisholm & Nicol

Based on an Eternity puzzle, this new area in Australia is one of the most stunning new sporting facilities in the world. It boasts a retractable roof (where!? and how!?) and seats a maximum of 15,000 spectators. The primary focus is basketball and tennis, though concerts will regularly rock the space too. Perhaps that's the primary reason for a retractable roof.

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Location: Stockholm, Sweden

Architect: Berg Arkitektkontor

This slick new facility will officially open this fall, giving Sweden's national football team a new home and local pop fans a fresh music venue. The arena features a retractable roof and seating for a maximum of 65,000 people.

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Location: Brooklyn, New York

Architect: Ellerbe Becket/ ShOP Architects

The new home of the Brooklyn Nets has a hate-it-or-love-it rusted facade. This comes from the employment of "weathering steel," popular in local architecture and here used to make this new sporting jewel pop.

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Location: Fort Worth, Texas

Architect: HKS

Not exactly totally fresh, Amon Carter Stadium reopens this fall after a complete overhaul over the last two years. Home to Texas Christian University Football, the stadium is now a proper throwback, celebrating the finest of college football facilities with an innovative nod to tradition.

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Location: Gdansk, Poland

Architect: RKW Rhode Kellermann Wawrowsky

Opened in mid-2011, PGE Arena Stadium is home to Leichia Gdansk football club. In 2012, the world became aware of the build when it hosted four matches during Euro 2012. The exterior is designed to resemble amber, which has been extracted off the local Baltic coast for generations.

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