JAKARTA – Portuguese architecture firm OODA has finished the first phase of a comprehensive sports facility for Al Nassr Football Club in Saudi Arabia’s capital. The House of Nassr represents the practice’s inaugural built work in the Kingdom, completed in 2025.

Integrated Athletic Facility

The development spans roughly 4,000 square meters and consolidates multiple functions under one roof. The program includes high-performance training areas, club administration offices, media facilities, athlete support services, and communal spaces. A hotel component is planned for future development.

Design Approach

The architectural concept responds to the operational requirements of elite football. Spaces are organized to create efficient connections between different programs while maintaining clear separation of access levels. Training pitches form the central focus, with built elements arranged to maintain visual and physical links to the playing fields.

OODA drew inspiration from traditional Saudi building practices, reinterpreting them through a modern lens. The design employs strategic manipulation of light and shadow, rhythmic facade patterns, and climate-responsive screening elements. These choices aim to improve environmental performance while expressing regional character and club identity.

Wider Context

The project joins other recent sports infrastructure developments globally. MVRDV is designing a multi-use complex in Tirana that combines arena seating with residential and hospitality programs. Heatherwick Studio and MANICA Architecture are working on a 62,000-capacity stadium for Birmingham City FC. In Japan, VUILD has proposed a timber-built stadium drawing on local construction traditions.

Original Article:

Arch Daily. (2025, December 23). OODA Unveils House of Nassr Sports Complex, Its First Realized Project in Saudi Arabia. Retrieved from https://www.archdaily.com/1037353/ooda-unveils-house-of-nassr-sports-complex-its-first-realized-project-in-saudi-arabia