Holding Olympics is a huge deal for the hosting country, generally, huge funds flow every four years into different countries to celebrate sportsmanship and felicitation apart talents all over the world. The Olympic stadiums become a landmark zone for the winners and the hosts of their victories and therefore the architectural curation of the stadiums become a standalone piece of wonder for the time to come. Oftentimes overlooked, stadium architecture is probably one of the best places to look for architecturally unique buildings that have redefined the connotations of what a building structure should loom like. 

Inspired by art, interior designers and architects, globally, have curated some of the best looking and architecturally inspiring stadiums that remain an iconic piece globally.

Here are some of those designs that have inspired us:

Olympiastadion München by Frei Otto, Munich 1972

the lightweight tent construction of the Olympiastadion was considered revolutionary for its time. This included large sweeping canopies of acrylic glass stabilized by steel cables that were used for the first time on a large scale. The idea was to imitate the Alps and to set a counterpart to the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, held during the Nazi regime. The sweeping and transparent canopy was to symbolize the new, democratic and optimistic Germany. This is reflected in the official motto: "The cheerful Games".

Montreal Olympic stadium by Frenchman Roger Taillibert 1976

Build in the mid-1970s as the main venue for the 1976 Summer Olympics, it is nicknamed "The Big O", a reference to both its name and to the doughnut-shape of the permanent component of the stadium's roof. The vast tower that looms over the ovoid stadium is the tallest inclined structure in the world. The tower standing next to the stadium, The Montreal Tower, is the tallest inclined tower in the world with an angle elevation of 45 degrees.

Beijing National Aquatics Center 2008

known as the Water Cube and the Ice Cube, is an aquatics centre at the Olympic Green in Beijing, China. the Chinese partners felt a square was more symbolic to Chinese culture and its relationship to the Bird's Nest stadium while the Sydney-based partners came up with the idea of covering the 'cube' with bubbles, symbolizing water. The glass cladding allows for more heat and light into the building thus cutting the insulation and energy costs. It is towards a green move initiated by china that the glass cubes also collect any falling water to save water resources.

Olympic stadium and tower, Helsinki 1938

Olympic Stadium and Tower, Helsinki, 1952 Though Finland typically dominates winter sports, it played host to the Summer Olympics in 1952. The Olympic Stadium in Helsinki, with its striking 238-foot-tall tower, was actually designed decades earlier by architects Yrjö Lindegren and Toivo Jäntti and completed in 1938. A huge structure, it accommodated 70,000 spectators during opening ceremonies.

Aquatics Centre, London, 2012

Inspired by the fluid geometry of water in motion, Zaha Hadid's design for the Aquatics Centre for the 2012 London Olympics features a 525-foot-long undulating roof. The temporary seating stands on either side of the sinuous structure have now been removed and replaced by permanent floor-to-ceiling glazing running the length of the building. Prior to her passing, Hadid was recruited to create an even larger Olympic venue: the 80,000-seat New National Stadium of Japan that will host the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.

Old Wembley Stadium, London, 1948

London was one of the first cities to host a modern Olympics back in 1908. Forty years later it hosted again, holding events in and around Wembley Stadium. Designed as both a proud monument to and functional arena for, the British Empire Exhibition of 1924, the stadium featured twin white concrete towers. Later known as the “Church of Football” to English soccer fans, the stadium and its famous towers were reduced to rubble in 2003 to make way for a new venue.

Olympic Stadium, Athens, 2004

The birthplace of the Olympics, Athens had not hosted a modern Games for more than a century (since 1896) when it finally got another shot in 2004. Plagued by rumors that the venues would not be completed in time, the Games ultimately went off without a hitch. The Greek Ministry of Culture called on Santiago Calatrava to transform an existing 75,000-seat open-air stadium for the opening and closing ceremonies. The Spanish architect left his signature on the 1982 structure with the addition of a striking roof composed of twin tubular steel arches that span 997 feet.