25 Oct 2017
Fulham FC reveals design for proposed Riverside Stand development
BY Kim Megson
Fulham FC has revealed fresh details of how it plans to create a new “leisure destination for use on match and non-match days” at the club's Craven Cottage stadium.
Global sports architects Populous have created a proposal for the club that its chair, Shahid Khan, claims will “transcend the customary standards of football grandstands” by “blending history and the contemporary like no stadium in the land or beyond”.
The scheme would see the creation of riverside pubs and restaurants, event facilities, green spaces and public access to a river walk along the Thames, in addition to nine new apartments at either end of the site. The stand itself would be rebuilt with more seats, increasing the stadium's total capacity by 4,300 to 30,000. A new basement would make room for ‘back of house’ facilities and lounge space.
A new drawings released by Populous shows how the stand has been designed with an iconic roof design to better connect with the river. The architects were tasked with creating something sympathetic in scale to the adjoining stands and trees to the south, while reducing the impact of floodlighting on the river. They propose to achieve the latter by removing two existing floodlight masts and building a new system below the roof.
More new images are expected to be released next month.
The club initially secured planning permission to expand the Riverside Stand in 2013. It is currently in discussions with the council about its latest plans, and is collecting public feedback of the design – which has been on display at Craven Cottage. It seeks to submit an updated planning application at the end of November so that construction can begin early next year, and completed by 2021.
Studies have already taken place to measure the wind, noise and traffic impact of the scheme, with all found to be similar level to the previously approved plans.
In a statement, the club said: “Mr Khan wants a design based on a new concept that will deliver a wide range of benefits both now and for future generations. These include creating a high-quality new stand for our fans and a world-class leisure destination that significantly enhances the relationship with the River Thames.”
Design firm Heatherwick Studio previously developed a broad concept for the Riverside Stand and its surrounding area as part of a business case study, but CLADglobal understands their involvement is now over, with Populous responding to a new brief.
By appointing Populous, Khan is reuniting with a firm he has worked with closely before. In May this year, the practice completed a stadium extension for US National Football League (NFL) franchise the Jacksonville Jaguars – a team Khan also owns.
Populous have designed a number of London’s major football grounds, including Wembley Stadium, in collaboration with Foster + Partners; Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium; West Ham United’s London Stadium; and Tottenham Hotspur’s forthcoming new-look White Hart Lane.
The practice also completed the new Warners Stand at Lord's Cricket Ground in May this year.
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