Construction will begin next year on what is being described as the most modern and sustainable stadium in Mexico.

The Merida, Yucatán, facility, which will seat up to 32,000 people, will cost 2.2 billion pesos (US $102.6 million) and will be the first Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum-certified stadium in Mexico.

The project will generate 4,000 jobs during construction and 1,000 permanent jobs when it opens. 

The mixed-use property will serve as the new home of the Venados soccer club and the Leones de Yucatán professional baseball team, but developers say the stadium can be adapted for a variety of other sports, as well as concerts and cultural events.

Yucatán Governor Mauricio Vila Dosal and the chief operating officer of the New York City-based developer Juego de Pelota, Inc., José Antonio Téllez, presented the privately-funded project on Wednesday. 

The environmentally friendly, solar-powered, state-of-the-art stadium is expected to open in 2023 and will feature a hotel, museum, restaurants, residential and office space as well as other services.

Governor Vila called the project “a message of optimism and hope in these difficult times that demonstrates the attractiveness and potential for growth that Yucatán has.” 

The stadium is a “symbol of economic reactivation,” the governor said, and the “best sign that Yucatán is already on the way to recovery.”

Téllez compared the high tech stadium to a Swiss army knife as it can be converted from one sport to another in as little as seven hours by adjusting its moveable stands.

The stadium, which will combine modern and Mayan details, was designed by the architectural firm Populous, which also designed London’s Olympic Stadium, remodeled Wembley and Yankee stadiums and worked on more than 3,000 other major projects worldwide. 

The stadium’s exact location has yet to be determined.

Source: El Diario de Yucatán (sp), El Universal (sp)