Further details released on plans for FGR’s proposed new 5000-seater timber stadium

FURTHER details on world-leading architects Zaha Hadid’s plans for the new 5000 seater football stadium for Forest Green Rovers have emerged.

Last year the distinguished company was chosen to design and build the green energy company’s centre piece for the proposed Eco Park development near Eastington.

As one of the world’s most famous architects practices, tasked with building one of the five stadiums for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, it was a hugely significant triumph for the aspirational National League football club.

Initial designs for the eye-catching building set out a vision for the world’s first all-wooden football stadium, which would be totally unique and highly sustainable.

Now more detailed plans have been released in a Concept Design Proposal, which has been published as part of the application on Stroud District’s Council planning website.

This document lays out information on the symmetrical timber designs, VIP areas, a football academy with teaching rooms and fire safety measures.

“With the new Eco Park and its Sports Complex, FGR have an unusual opportunity to create a new home which is emblematic of their ambitions: an eco-friendly team at the heart of a vibrant community,” it says.

“The new stadium should capture imaginations and we believe the most effective way to do this is by making the new stadium a single, defining visual gesture.”

It continues: “We are proposing a fully symmetrical seating bowl for the stadium - increasing efficiencies in construction and enhancing the overall internal atmosphere.

“In line with this approach we are proposing to install the same structure as required for the VIP areas on the west side also on the east side.

“This creates on the east side the opportunity for additional accommodation with and without pitch viewing.

“We have proposed to use these areas as football academy with class rooms and catering facilities on non-match days and as a restaurant or fan-zone area during match day.

“Other uses such as for example additional boxes or rentable areas or gym facilities are equally possible and could be explored further if required.”

Turnstile entrances for fans will be located on all four sides of the stadium and sweeping curve of the bowl will create an overhanging canopy on the north and south side, providing shelter from the elements.

Meanwhile on the east and west side structural beams will also create overhanging canopy to protect terraces from the rain.

This specially engineered frame will be created using cross-laminated timber. Both the flowing roof structure, bowl and terraced seating will be created from the material, along with an architectural lightweight membrane.

It is hoped this will create a “striking silhouette” for the new stadium which “announces the club’s commitment to sustainable design to both spectators and visitors”.

Zaha say this is highly sustainable and dramatically reduces the carbon footprint of a stadium in comparison to a similar steel or concrete structure.

“As a material, timber is highly durable, recyclable, and beautiful,” they add. “It fits in well visually with a parkland setting lending a warm quality to the building envelope and can be left exposed to view without seeming cold or industrial.

“For a club like the Forest Green Rovers, timber’s eco-credentials and the emblematic value to the community of a wooden stadium make it in our view the only choice.”

The designs, published in January 2017, also address one issue many in the community had questioned – fire safety in a wooden stadium.

The architects said: “Safety is a major consideration in this type of project, where a large gathering of members of the public takes place. “Wood is often perceived to be unsafe when exposed to fire, largely due to concerns related to combustibility and structural stability.

“The reality, however, is that modern engineered timber systems perform well when exposed to fire.”

Zaha Hadid also want the stadium to integrate into the wider Eco Park development and the surrounding Eastington landscape as “seamlessly as possible”.

To do this will build it in a pedestrianised zone around the existing meadow and parkland, where trees will be planted around small areas of water.

These pools will be used for the collection and storage of rainwater as part of an integrated sustainable drainage system.

Meanwhile the concept design of the footbridge shows a similarly designed wooden structure that crosses over the A419 near junction 13 of the M5.

Plans for Eco Park and the club’s new stadium have been welcomed by Ian Crawley, chair of the FGR Supporters Club (SC).

In an official comment in support of Eco Park, he said: “The SC welcomes and fully supports the exciting and innovative design for the stadium.”

However, the proposed development still has a lot of critics in the local are who continue to oppose it.

These groups argue the massive 100 acre complex will destroy green fields, clog up roads, overwhelm infrastructure, and that it flies in the face of the district’s Local Plan.

They see the development as yet another unwanted encroachment of large developments on the Eastington community.

Others suggest that with FGR still in the National League and battling for promotion to League Two, there is no need for such a large stadium.

The latest raft of updates to the planning application S.16/0043/OUT, including the Stadium Design Statement, were added last week.