Project Board Series in Action: Ando Cement Real Photos of Stadium Cladding

Stadiums are often called the "cathedrals of sport," but their significance runs deeper. They are gathering places where communities cheer, cry, and connect—spaces that should breathe with life, not just stand as cold concrete monoliths. When the design team behind the new Riverside Stadium set out to reimagine what a modern sports venue could be, they turned to the MCM project board series as their partner in this vision. More specifically, they leaned into the quiet power of Ando Cement (light grey) —a material that doesn't just clad walls, but tells stories through texture, light, and time.

This isn't just about building a structure. It's about crafting an experience. Imagine walking up to the stadium on a crisp autumn morning: the sun catches the facade, and suddenly, what looks like smooth concrete reveals itself to be a tapestry of subtle ridges and valleys, each groove holding the memory of a craftsman's touch. That's the magic of materials done right. And in this project, every material choice—from the weathered allure of lunar peak silvery to the organic flexibility of MCM flexible stone —was made with one goal: to turn a stadium into a place that feels human .

The design team started with a simple question: How do we make a 50,000-seat stadium feel intimate? The answer lay in rejecting the sterile, uniform surfaces that dominate many modern venues. Instead, they embraced the MCM 3D printing series for its ability to mimic natural textures—think the rough-hewn charm of a mountain face or the gentle ripple of a riverbed—while offering the durability needed for a high-traffic space.

"We wanted the stadium to age gracefully," says lead architect Maria Gonzalez. "Materials that look better with time, that develop a patina, that tell the story of every rainstorm, every sunset, every that echoes against them." This philosophy led them to prioritize materials like Ando Cement (light grey) , inspired by the legendary Japanese architect Tadao Ando, whose work balances minimalism with warmth through texture and light.

Choosing materials for the stadium's exterior was like curating an art exhibit—each piece needed to complement the others while standing out in its own right. The team turned to the MCM project board series for its versatility, selecting a mix of textures and tones that would shift with the light, creating a dynamic facade that never feels static.

At the heart of this palette was Ando Cement (light grey) . Its understated elegance became the backbone of the design, a neutral canvas that allowed other materials to shine. But "neutral" doesn't mean "boring." Run your hand over a panel, and you'll feel the subtle grain—like sandpaper kissed by water—created by a specialized finishing process that mimics the look of hand-troweled concrete. In sunlight, it glows with a soft, warm grey; on overcast days, it deepens, taking on the mood of the sky.

To add depth, the team paired Ando Cement with lunar peak silvery , a material from the MCM series that shimmers like moonlight on stone. Installed in vertical strips between the cement panels, it catches the sun at dawn and dusk, turning the stadium into a beacon. Near the entrance, MCM flexible stone wraps around curved walls, its supple texture softening the building's edges and inviting visitors to reach out and touch.

Key Materials and Their Roles

To truly understand the impact of Ando Cement (light grey) , you have to see it in person—or, in this case, study the real photos that capture its essence. Unlike polished concrete, which reflects light harshly, Ando Cement absorbs and diffuses it, creating a soft, diffused glow that makes the stadium feel approachable even on its largest scale.

Take the west facade, where the cement panels stretch 80 meters across, interrupted only by narrow strips of glass. In mid-morning light, the texture comes alive: each panel has a unique pattern of small indentations, like the marks left by a craftsman's tool. No two panels are identical, a deliberate choice to avoid the "cookie-cutter" feel of mass-produced cladding. "We wanted people to look up and think, 'Someone made this,'" says Gonzalez. "That human touch is what turns a building into a place with soul."

Durability was just as critical as aesthetics. Stadiums face harsh conditions—heavy rain, extreme temperatures, the occasional stray soccer ball—and Ando Cement (light grey) delivers. Its high-density composition resists water absorption, preventing cracks and mold, while its UV-stable pigments ensure the color won't fade, even after years of sun exposure. In real photos taken six months after installation, the panels still look fresh, with only a subtle softening of their edges—a "patina of time" that the design team welcomes.

Perhaps the most striking aspect of Ando Cement is its versatility. On the north side of the stadium, where sunlight is scarce, it takes on a cool, muted tone that complements the surrounding trees. On the south side, bathed in afternoon sun, it warms up, almost golden in hue. "It's like the material has a mood," says site foreman Jake Torres, who oversaw the installation. "One day, it's calm and grey; the next, it's glowing. It keeps the building feeling alive."

While Ando Cement (light grey) steals the spotlight, the stadium's design relies on a supporting cast of materials from the MCM series, each chosen to play a specific role in the overall narrative.

Take lunar peak silvery , for example. Installed in thin, vertical panels between the Ando Cement sections, it acts like a punctuation mark—drawing the eye upward and adding a touch of modernity. In real photos, these strips look like veins of silver running through the building's "skin," a nod to the stadium's role as a hub of energy and movement. "It's not about being flashy," Gonzalez explains. "It's about balance. Ando Cement grounds us; Lunar Peak lifts us up."

Near the main entrance, MCM flexible stone takes center stage. Unlike rigid stone cladding, MCM flexible stone bends and curves, wrapping around the entrance's sweeping archway like a gentle hug. Its surface mimics the look of natural travertine, with soft beige and cream tones that warm up the space. "Entrances should feel welcoming, not intimidating," Torres notes. "MCM flexible stone does that. It's smooth enough to feel inviting, but with enough texture to feel real."

Lower down, fair-faced concrete adds a raw, industrial edge. With visible aggregate and rough edges, it nods to the city's manufacturing heritage, creating a connection between the stadium and the community it serves. "We didn't want this to feel like a building dropped in from nowhere," Gonzalez says. "Materials like fair-faced concrete root it in place, tell people, 'This is yours.'"

Behind every photo of the stadium's cladding lies a story of craftsmanship. The installation of Ando Cement (light grey) panels wasn't just a construction task—it was an art form. Each panel was cast by hand in a local workshop, where artisans spent hours refining the texture, adjusting the mix to ensure the perfect balance of strength and softness.

"We had a team of five craftsmen working on the Ando Cement panels for three months," Torres recalls. "One guy, Miguel, had been working with concrete for 40 years. He'd run his hand over each panel and say, 'Too smooth—needs more life.' So we'd adjust the trowel pressure, add a little more sand, and suddenly, the panel would breathe. That's the difference between good and great materials: the people behind them."

Even the way the materials interact with the elements tells a story. After a rainstorm, the Ando Cement (light grey) darkens, the water highlighting every groove and imperfection, turning the facade into a living map of its own journey. In winter, frost settles in the crevices, creating delicate patterns that melt away by midday. "It's like the building is talking to us," Gonzalez says with a smile. "That's the beauty of choosing materials that age gracefully. They don't just last—they evolve."

When the Riverside Stadium opens next month, it won't just be a place to watch a game. It will be a place where the clatter of footsteps echoes against Ando Cement (light grey) walls, where sunlight dances off lunar peak silvery strips, where families run their hands over MCM flexible stone and feel a connection to something real.

The MCM project board series, in this case, isn't just a line of building materials—it's a partner in creating meaning. By choosing materials that balance durability with emotion, functionality with feeling, the design team has transformed a stadium into a space that reflects the community it serves: strong, resilient, and full of life.

So the next time you see a photo of the Riverside Stadium's cladding, look closer. Beyond the Ando Cement, beyond the Lunar Peak, beyond the MCM flexible stone—you'll see something more: a story. A story of people, passion, and the belief that even the biggest buildings can have the smallest, most human touches.