Feyenoord (stadium)

Brief information

The nickname de Kuip, “the Tub,” is no random joke here, but a clue to the stadium’s form and design. Feyenoord was built in 1935–1937 as an arena meant to differ from the usual European stadiums: two free-hanging tiers and the absence of supports blocking the view were the main idea of the project.

The architects Johannes Brinkman and Leendert van der Vlugt worked with glass, concrete, and steel — materials that were relatively inexpensive at the time. So the stadium should be read not only as a football arena, but also as an engineering concept: the structure was intended to give spectators an uninterrupted view of the pitch. After the war it was almost dismantled for scrap metal, and its current appearance is largely connected with the 1994 reconstruction.

What to notice first

It makes sense to compare three parts of the stadium: the tiers, the roof, and the additional buildings. The two hanging tiers explain why descriptions so strongly emphasize the lack of obstacles to the view: the structure was conceived around the spectator, not around massive supports. The materials — glass, concrete, and steel — show the practical language of the 1930s project: not a decorative shell, but a frame designed for a large football space.

The roof belongs to a later layer of history. In 1994 it was expanded so that it covered all spectators, and at the same time all places were converted to seating. The lighting, added in 1958, marks another stage in the arena’s transformation into a modern sports facility. The additional building with a restaurant and the “Home of History” museum shows that the stadium has become not only a place for matches, but also a space where the club preserves and presents its own memory.