With the 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup as the catalyst, a radical re-think of an area long zoned for sport and recreation, including a new stadium and its linkages to the beachfront promenade, was put to an invited design competition of selected Durban architects who tendered in collaboration with international firms.While the canted exterior, the undulating outer perimeter and the tensile roof suspended from the bifurcated overhead arch constitute the iconic forms of the stadium, the sense of community engendered by the gentle gradients of the seating tiers of the oval arena, protected by the upward tilting roof, succeed in producing great architecture from a utilitarian project.