El Molinón

Gijón, Spain

2024

View of El Molinón football stadium in Gijón from a distance, showing open-air circulation ramps weave around the perimeter. The red exterior stands out against blue sky. Renovation by Sordo Madaleno.

Built in 1908, El Molinón carries more than a century of Gijón in its stands. Sordo Madaleno’s refurbishment, developed with Orlegi Sports, takes that continuity as its starting point: the original pitch stays in place, over 28,000 sqm of existing structure is retained, and the project is reconceived around what the stadium can offer the city on any day — not just matchday.

Interior view of El Molinón football stadium in Gijón. The red curved exterior shades visitors seated on patio. Renovation by Sordo Madaleno.

Open-air circulation ramps weave around the perimeter, drawing La Mareona — Real Sporting’s famously loyal supporters — into the architecture itself. As people move through the building, views open across Isabel La Católica Park and San Lorenzo Beach. The façade reads as an extension of the city rather than a boundary against it, and approximately 8.8 hectares of public space connect the stadium directly to the urban fabric around it.

View of El Molinón football stadium in Gijón from a distance, partially covered by trees. People walk toward it on a pathway over the water.

Historic bleachers existing within the original sports grounds. In the design for El Molinón, Sordo Madaleno retained a later seating structure as an ode to the building’s supporters and historic architcture, rejuvenating the studiem’s role in the city whilst nodding to its past.

Historical image of El Molinón in 1989, when the stadium had a capacity of 38000 seats.

An integrated 12,600 sqm corridor runs through the building, accommodating food, retail, and cultural programming that keeps El Molinón active and accessible to residents and visitors well beyond the final whistle. The project asks what a stadium owes its city. The answer given here is continuity: of place, of memory, and of the daily life that accumulates around a building when it is open enough to invite it.