OODA - Architects - Liga HQ - A New Icon Rises in Porto - Portugal

2025-06-09

A new home of the Portuguese Football League redefines the relationship between sport, city, and community.

This multifunctional building hosts a wide range of programs, including offices, an auditorium, a museum, a sports pavilion, and a large garden area that connects the structure to the surrounding urban space. Although seemingly simple in form, Arena Liga Portugal relies on complex architectural solutions.

During the initial research phase, the design team came across a striking yet simple phrase from former British footballer Bill Shankly, who famously said, “What a great day to play soccer, all you need is a pitch and a ball.” While the project does not take this statement literally, it draws inspiration from it. This influence is evident in the design, particularly in the green roof that extends the adjacent riverside park, and in the white, suspended volume that resembles a ball resting over the lawn.

From the outset, various concepts were explored to ensure that every solution enhanced the project’s overall vision. This process was marked by continuous dialogue among stakeholders, allowing the building to evolve according to diverse needs and perspectives. The goal was to create a space that not only serves the Portuguese Football League’s functions, but also engages meaningfully with the city and its surroundings.

Strategically located, the Arena contributes to the revitalization of a previously neglected area of Porto. Its design aims to establish it as both a visual and functional landmark. Natural light played a central role throughout the design process, with each opening carefully positioned to bring sunlight into the interior, creating a narrative of textures and shadows. The interplay of light and shadow transforms materials like concrete and glass, infusing spaces with dynamism.

At night, the Arena becomes an urban beacon, its lighting accentuating the building’s geometric lines in the cityscape. The structure’s form invites light to animate its surfaces, creating a composition that shifts throughout the day. One of the project’s defining features is the cube-shaped tower. The design team sought to create a building that was both functional and visually captivating. The white hexagonal façade references the world of football—evoking the texture of a ball or the net of a goal—while the use of glass and fiberglass generates dynamic geometric patterns that capture and reflect light. These symbolic elements transform the tower into a visual statement of the Portuguese Football League’s identity.

The design brief also called for the inclusion of a public square. The team envisioned this square as both an extension of the city and the main entry point to the building. Public areas were arranged around the square at ground level, while more private functions were housed in the tower above, creating a clear spatial hierarchy. Guided by ideas such as the green roof and the bold, iconic geometry of the cube, the project was shaped through an iterative process of volumetric exploration. The team sought solutions that responded best to the functional program while achieving a strong architectural presence. The final result balances these ambitions, delivering a space that supports the institutional goals of the Liga, while contributing to the urban fabric of Porto.

“The building of the new headquarters of the Portuguese Football League was designed to integrate much more than just the offices and administrative areas of the institution. It hosts different recreational and sporting programs," said João Jesus, Partner at OODA. "From its inception, the building was designed to strengthen the connection between the surrounding city, the community, and the league institution itself. In short, the building functions as an icon in the city's profile, representative of the institution it houses and an anchor of the community and natural fabric that surrounds it.”

About OODA

OODA is made up of a team of over 60 architects of different nationalities, working on a wide range of projects of different scales and programs. From individual houses, to large residential buildings and hotels, and from institutional buildings, to master plans, more than 600,000 square meters of construction is currently under OODA management. Proximity between all team members contributes to the design process, without compartments or hierarchies, in a horizontal organizational structure.

Photo credit: Pedro Cardigo