Slideshow: Allianz Arena - by Herzog & de Meuron - Munich, Germany

The Allianz Arena, designed by Pritzker Prize winning architects Herzog & de Meuron, is an elegant stadium design yet not one of their most inspired projects. Groundbreaking for its unique, bubble skin, the facade is it's most riveting feature as colored lighting system morphs to reflect the team playing within. Once you slip past this innovative facade, however, the building becomes just another stadium, with a typical cold concrete structure. Other than the facade I really didn't find that much intrigue in this design. One other aspect of the design is the parking garage, located below a large landscaped plaza leading from the train station to the stadium. I was rather disappointed with the experience as it was a rather far walk through poorly maintained grounds. Of course the experience might be different on game day with the plaza full of fans pre-drinking for a big match, however most of the time it is just a desolate wasteland.