The 62,303-seat Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, located in London, is the largest club stadium in London and the first in the world to be custom-built to stage soccer and NFL football games, thanks to its fully retractable pitch.
The soccer pitch sits atop the football field and in order to reveal the latter, the former needs to split into three sections to maneuver around two massive supports under the south stands. The pitch runs along tracks and slowly moves into a covered parking lot on the south end of the stadium where it is stored. While in storage, LED lights provide the grass with enough light to keep it alive, but not so much that it will begin to grow out of control, and autonomous mowers keep the grass at a proper length.
The Populous-designed stadiums features uninterrupted sight lines and brings spectators closer to the pitch than at any comparable ground in the UK. The stands are angled at 35 degrees to create a tighter, atmospheric stadium bowl. The southern “home end” of the stadium (under which the pitch is stored) seats 17,500 spectators, making it the largest single-tier stand in the UK. The seating rows are separated by an ergonomically profiled bar set at 900mm for clear sight lines. Each of the seats provides the same levels of comfort and leg room as any other seat anywhere in the stadium and is fitted with a lock to ensure it can be securely fixed in the upright position.
The stadium also features something not seen every day in a stadium, a microbrewery. Owned and operated by local brewer Beavertown, the brewery makes approximately 23,000 pints of beer per match. Another interesting feature for those who like to imbibe in alcoholic beverages is the Goal Line Bar. At 65 meters, the bar is the longest in Europe.
Both the microbrewery and the Goal Line Bar are located in The Market Place, a fan zone with street-food style market stalls in the South Stand atrium. The South Stand Atrium is five stories high and will provide a new meeting place for home supporters before and after matches.
Other features include fine dining experiences; The Tunnel Club, a glass-walled private members club allowing fans a behind-the-scenes view of the players making their way from the pitch, as well as seats located behind the First Team technical area; and The Sky Lounge, where guests can enjoy panoramic views of London from the stadium’s highest point.
There are also a number of experiences for fans available year round, such as the 38,000-sf visitors center with the largest club retail space in Europe, the club museum and archives, and a publicly accessible cafe with an outdoor seating area.
Related Stories
| Aug 11, 2010
Gensler, HOK, HDR among the nation's leading reconstruction design firms, according to BD+C's Giants 300 report
A ranking of the Top 100 Reconstruction Design Firms based on Building Design+Construction's 2009 Giants 300 survey. For more Giants 300 rankings, visit http://www.BDCnetwork.com/Giants
| Aug 11, 2010
Gensler among eight teams named finalists in 'classroom of the future' design competition
Eight teams were recognized today as finalists of the 2009 Open Architecture Challenge: Classroom. Finalists submitted designs ranging from an outdoor classroom for children in inner-city Chicago, learning spaces for the children of salt pan workers in India, safe spaces for youth in Bogota, Colombia and a bamboo classroom in the Himalayan mountains.
| Aug 11, 2010
ASHRAE introduces building energy label prototype
Most of us know the fuel efficiency of our cars, but what about our buildings? ASHRAE is working to change that, moving one step closer today to introducing its building energy labeling program with release of a prototype label at its 2009 Annual Conference in Louisville, Ky.
| Aug 11, 2010
10 tips for mitigating influenza in buildings
Adopting simple, common-sense measures and proper maintenance protocols can help mitigate the spread of influenza in buildings. In addition, there are system upgrades that can be performed to further mitigate risks. Trane Commercial Systems offers 10 tips to consider during the cold and flu season.
| Aug 11, 2010
Jacobs, HOK top BD+C's ranking of the 75 largest state/local government design firms
A ranking of the Top 75 State/Local Government Design Firms based on Building Design+Construction's 2009 Giants 300 survey. For more Giants 300 rankings, visit http://www.BDCnetwork.com/Giants
| Aug 11, 2010
Gilbane, Whiting-Turner among nation's largest university contractors, according to BD+C's Giants 300 report
A ranking of the Top 50 University Contractors based on Building Design+Construction's 2009 Giants 300 survey. For more Giants 300 rankings, visit /giants
| Aug 11, 2010
AASHE releases annual review of sustainability in higher education
The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) has announced the release of AASHE Digest 2008, which documents the continued rapid growth of campus sustainability in the U.S. and Canada. The 356-page report, available as a free download on the AASHE website, includes over 1,350 stories that appeared in the weekly AASHE Bulletin last year.
| Aug 11, 2010
Burt Hill, HOK top BD+C's ranking of the nation's 100 largest university design firms
A ranking of the Top 100 University Design Firms based on Building Design+Construction's 2009 Giants 300 survey. For more Giants 300 rankings, visit http://www.BDCnetwork.com/Giants