With its mass appeal and ability to unite people worldwide, sport offers a powerful platform for demonstrating and communicating the importance of sustainability.

That’s the view of Chris DeVolder, sustainable design leader at architecture firm HOK.

DeVolder told Sports Management that the nature of sports-oriented design is changing drastically, particularly as city centre sports developments returning to favour.

“By establishing new paradigms for environmentally friendly design and acting as a hub for related sustainable development, sports venues can become critical assets for an individual location, a community and a region,” he said.

“There’s a focus on engaging residents, daytime workers and visitors every day of the week – not just on game or match days. These projects promote related development and maximise return on investment while creating vibrant, sustainable urban communities.”

HOK has worked on several such mixed-use projects, including the Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta, US; the Rogers Place Arena in Edmonton, Canada; and the Palau Blaugrana in Barcelona, Spain.

Among other features, DeVolder said stadiums should harvest water, create energy, turn waste into food, enable mixed-use programming and adopt adaptive landscaping. He added that architects must consider these aspect as they design the stadiums and sports facilities of the future.

HOK have recently partnered with the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and the Architects Foundation to research how an improvement in sustainable design practices can improve public health.