Populous has been appointed to lead the early planning of Frankfurt’s proposed P9 Multi-Purpose Arena.
The appointment follows a Europe-wide procurement process run by Sportpark Stadion Frankfurt Gesellschaft für Projektentwicklungen (SSF), the organisation overseeing the project at Frankfurt’s stadium campus.
Populous submitted the successful joint proposal with Buro Happold, an international engineering consultancy and advisory, and Drees & Sommer, a consulting company specialising in construction and real estate. The team will undertake the next phase of planning before the project moves towards design-and-build procurement.
The arena is planned for the P9 parking area beside Deutsche Bank Park. A City of Frankfurt report gives a proposed capacity of between 12,000 and 13,000 spectators for sporting events, rising to 15,200 for concerts. The venue is intended to host basketball, handball, ice hockey, concerts, and congresses, and to become the home of the basketball team Frankfurt Skyliners and ice hockey club Löwen Frankfurt.
European tender attracted interest from 180 companies
The tender for the lead design contract was launched in February 2026 and published in the Official Journal of the European Union and the Hessian public procurement database.
A total of 180 companies expressed interest, including planning and design firms from Germany and abroad. Five qualified bidders were shortlisted and invited to submit detailed tenders in accordance with German public procurement regulations.
Frankfurt Mayor Mike Josef said the proposed arena was intended to reinforce the city’s position as a destination for major sporting and live entertainment events.
Contract covers architectural and engineering planning
The contract covers architectural planning, structural engineering, and building services engineering. Populous will also build on a feasibility study completed in 2024 and address planning, regulatory, and building code matters.
The arena’s detailed architectural design and façade are outside the present scope and will be developed during later stages.
Geotechnical investigations began at the site in July 2026. The programme includes 12 heavy dynamic probing tests reaching depths of around 12 metres and four boreholes approximately 3 metres deep. The results will provide information about ground and groundwater conditions for the structural and foundation planning.
Urban planning practice AS+P previously prepared a masterplan for the P9 site between 2021 and 2022. It considered the relocation of the existing visitor-coach parking area, changes to access routes, transport requirements, pedestrian connections, and surrounding green and open spaces. That earlier work concerns the site planning, not the arena design that will emerge from the current process.
SSF managing director Moritz Schneider said quality, functionality, and efficiency would guide the planning from the outset.
Design-and-build procurement expected from autumn 2027
The design team will work with SSF, the project management team, and specialist consultants on Service Phases 1 and 2, preparing the initial conceptual and technical work for the arena.
The resulting functional performance specification is expected to underpin procurement for a design-and-build contract from autumn 2027. A single contractor would then take responsibility for the remaining design and construction.
In December 2025, Schneider said the arena could be completed by the end of 2030 under an optimal programme, with construction expected to take between two-and-a-half and three years.
