REICHSHOF STADIUM EXTENSION IN LUSTENAU BY BERNARDO BADER ARCHITEKTEN WITH WALTER ANGONESE

Reichshof Stadium Extension, Lustenau (2025)
Bernardo Bader Architekten with Walter Angonese (gbd)

Set within the Rhine Valley at the Austrian Swiss border, the extension of Reichshof Stadium by the architect Bernardo Bader with the collaboration fo Walter Angonese, rethinks what a small scale football venue can represent, both locally and across borders. Designed to host around 7,000 spectators, the project balances modest capacity with a strong architectural presence, without overwhelming its sensitive landscape context.

Rather than relying on the monumental gestures often associated with stadium design, the proposal introduces four slender pylons that define the structure’s identity. Positioned at each corner, they act as visual anchors in the broader Rhine Valley, creating a recognizable silhouette while maintaining a measured relationship with the surrounding urban fabric of Lustenau.

Materially, the project embraces a dialogue between solidity and lightness. Concrete foundations ground the structure, while timber, used wherever possible, shapes the elevated stands that appear to hover above the site. This interplay generates a distinct architectural language rooted in contrast, yet deeply connected to regional building traditions.

The design carefully integrates the existing south stands, extending them into a new configuration that wraps around the pitch in an L-shaped gesture. This approach preserves continuity with the past while redefining the stadium as a communal core, an everyday “living room” for the town and its football culture.

Beyond its functional role, the stadium positions itself within the ongoing narrative of the Rhine Valley as a cross-border territory. More than a sports venue, it becomes a subtle landmark—an architecture that reflects both local identity and a shared regional future.

Project details

location: Lustenau, Austria
architecture: Bernardo Bader Architekten
project partner: Arch. Walter Angonese (gbd)
team: M. Kastl (PL), C. Bär, J. Ambrosig, J. Mallaun
floor area: 4,900 m² | Volume: 28,453 m³
year: 2025

typology: stadium

status: in construction

photography/renders: (c) bernardo Bader, Adolf Bereuter