Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

Location London, United Kingdom

Client/operator Tottenham Hotspur

Architect Populous London, United Kingdom www.populous.com

Author Populous

Photos Hufton & Crow, Edward Hill

Official opening April 2019

Construction costs GBP 800 million (EUR 939 million)

STADIUM IN LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM

With a total capacity of 62,062, the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is the biggest club stadium in London and, by incorporating a fully retractable pitch, the first in the world to be custom-built to stage football and NFL games. Populous’ design showcases its unique ability to accommodate the technical and operational requirements of the world’s two most popular sports, and to host concerts and a range of other events. The South Stand fan zone features food stalls, Europe’s longest bar and a microbrewery.

The stadium is situated on a tight urban site. The design built on the traditions of placing spectators close to the pitch at English football stadiums and the quality of customer experience provided in modern stadiums to create a stadium with an intense matchday atmosphere. This included the use of a 17,500-seat single-tier stand behind the

home goal at the southern end of the stadium, along with stands angled at the maximum allowable gradient on the other three sides of the stadium, helping the crowd feel as though it was “on top” of the pitch. The front row of seats is no more than 8 m from the pitch area, placing fans closer to the pitch than at any comparable modern stadium. The spectator spaces were designed to provide an enhanced offer of experiences that encourage fans to arrive earlier before matches and stay later. Central to this philosophy is the South Stand atrium space, incorporating a range of food stalls, Europe’s longest bar (65 m), and the world’s first microbrewery within a football stadium.

World-first retractable pitch design

To address the client’s requirement for a bespoke “home” for the NFL in the UK, a world-first retractable pitch design was developed. In this, the grass pitch divides into three sections to sidestep the columns supporting the South Stand when it is retracted, uncovering an artificial playing surface beneath. The artificial pitch is used to stage NFL games and other events such as concerts, ensuring that the football playing surface is kept in peak condition. A visitors’ centre is located in the southwest corner of the site, incorporating a Grade-II listed Georgian property as part of the museum and shop area. Additionally, the club’s new headquarters are incorporated at the northern end of the development site, with a bridge link to the stadium’s north stand. While the northern section is largely a concrete structure, the single-tier South Stand has a steel frame, which allowed for rapid construction. The seating tiers are built out of pre-cast concrete, while the roof is a

steel cable-net structure, braced back to a compression ring running around the perimeter of the roof.

The façade of the stadium is composed of a mixture of perforated aluminium panels, double and single glazed panels and pre-cast concrete wall panels.

Mixed-use functionality

The robustness of the stadium’s structural solution facilitates an anticipated lifespan of more than 100 years. During this time, its state-of-the-art functionality will ensure that the building will not become obsolete. Additionally, the mixed-use functionality of the venue also ensures the building is well used throughout the year, not just during the football season, helping to justify the high resource and carbon content of a facility such as this. A post-tensioned concrete frame enabled the stadium to have a much larger column grid than is usual, reducing the number of required columns. The reuse of sitewon aggregate and the strategic on-site batching of in-situ concrete further reduced the embodied carbon of the building and the construction waste on the project.

The stadium’s operational energy usage is greatly reduced by the careful grouping together of heated and unheated spaces and correctly orientating the stadium so that the majority of these spaces are in the east and the west of the building. The full development scheme includes a new visitor centre, gym, supermarket and sixth form school. It is a hive of activity 365 days a year, with stadium tours, retail, first-class conference and banqueting facilities, public cafés and a planned hotel bringing an estimated two million visitors per year.

Commitment to inclusive spectator experience

The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is designed to be a stadium for everyone, and the needs of supporters with disabilities and other specific requirements have been accommodated throughout the building. There are 74 enlarged accessible parking spaces in the stadium’s basement. The ticket offices are fully accessible. The home ticket office has level access; its counters are lowered and fitted with induction loops. The entire stadium perimeter is made accessible by five lifts that can transport supporters from street level (Level 0) to podium level (Level 1). The stadium has four dedicated accessible entrances for home fans and one accessible entrance for away fans. All entrances are served by multiple lifts transporting supporters to the viewing areas. The building features more than 250 dedicated elevated wheelchair positions around the stadium bowl and 500 easily accessible seats, with 66 fully accessible toilets. Additionally, there are three changing places facilities across the site. The seating area within the stadium is fully covered by a radio-based assistive hearing system. The system allows supporters of varying hearing impairments access to audio descriptive commentary. Hearing loop systems are also fitted into every catering kiosk. The Sensory Suite is located in the North Stand, block 416, and offers a comfortable and calming environment for supporters on the autistic spectrum or with sensory impairment conditions to watch a match, complete with a tactile wall, a bubble tube and several other pieces of sensory equipment. Attendees are also presented with a sensory pack on their first visit, complete with club-branded ear defenders and several other tactile sensory toys.

JURY VERDICT

The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is a major 62,000-seat stadium set into a compact urban site in London. Its placement within north Tottenham is a catalyst for renewal and regeneration of the area. The stadium is a huge insertion into the existing Victorian context and the architecture is notable for its outward tranquillity. However, once inside the facility, it is clear that this is a highly animated and energy-charged realm for spectators at all price points. The bowl is an extremely well-designed space with a close and intimate relationship with the field. The structure that supports the roof is sophisticated in its design and innovative in its engineering. The jury was impressed by the commitment to the spectator experience. This is designed with an understanding of persons with a disability. There are a significant number of elevated wheelchair positions, a radio-based assistive hearing system and a sensory suite for fans on the autistic spectrum. Unique socialising features that add an additional layer of fan enjoyment include Europe’s longest bar (at 65 m) and the world’s first microbrewery within a football stadium. The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is not only an exceptional facility for watching sports and other events, but also a hugely successful regional entertainment destination. For the overall experience provided by the stadium, the jury is pleased to award the project both an IOC IAKS Gold Medal and an IPC IAKS Distinction.

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