Case Study
New Spurs Stadium

Tottenham Hotspurs' new stadium is the centerpiece of a major new regeneration initiative, aimed at improving the public experience and the urban realm for this north- London borough. It incorporates a lightweight cable-net roof that stretches across the sweeping, asymmetric curve of the steel seating bowl. The bowl bulges to accommodate a large glass wing at the southern 'home end'. In this way, the importance of the local fans' support is both acknowledged and encouraged. Within this glass wing, a large atrium space with food court creates a natural gathering point for fans both before and after matches.

Seating capacity will be boosted substantially to 61,000; a single-tier, 17,000 seater structure at the home end is designed to replicate the intimacy and flexibility of a traditional football stand, but with 21st-century safety standards. A fully retractable pitch means that the stadium can cater for NFL matches (Tottenham announced a deal last year to host NFL games), as well as concerts and other major events. Both team and public facilities are revolutionised, with a first-class conference and banqueting hall accessed by a prominent new entrance next to the East Stand.

A new terrace will form The Tottenham Experience, comprising a permanent Visitors Centre and Arrivals Hub, with interactive museum, cinema, cafe and shop. Fans and visitors will also be able to climb the exterior of the building to experience a Sky Walk, 40m up. Meanwhile, public realm improvements include a new public square and landscaping beside the stadium to improve crowd flows and enhance the sense of arrival.

Client: Tottenham Hotspurs football club
Architecture: Populous
Cost £750m
Completion For the start of the 2018-19 season

Case Study
Singapore Sports Hub

Arup has brought all its architectural and engineering skills to the design of Singapore's new Sports Hub, with the aim of creating a world-class model of its type: a sustainable, fully integrated sports, entertainment and lifestyle hub for the region. The 55,000-seater National Stadium has a moveable, ultra-thin dome roof structure, which can extend over the pitch to shade both players and spectators. The roof is a strategic element in the venue's energy-efficient spectator cooling system, along with giant louvres that reduce solar heat gain. Through these passive design solutions, cooled air is delivered to every spectator's seat.

Additional cooling required will be offset by energy harnessed through the year from a large PV array.

The roof is clad in a multilayer ETFE pillow and incorporates a matrix of LED lights, which can be programmed for displays - making it possibly the largest addressable LED screen in the world. The domed roof is one of the largest single domes in the world, spanning 310m. Because of its ultra-thin shell roof structure, it is also highly efficient, using the minimum materials for its construction.

Further flexibility is provided for programming through an innovative moving tier design that facilitates different spectator requirements, along with a palletised turf system.

This means the venue can be used for a range of events, from cricket to football to Singapore's annual National Day Parade.

The complex in which the Sports Hub sits combines the arena with an indoor world standard aquatic centre, a 3,000-capacity multipurpose indoor arena, retail space, a water sports centre for athletics and public use, and a sports library and museum.

Client Dragages Singapore & Singapore Sports Hub
National stadium architecture and sports venue design Arup Associates
Engineering Arup Associates + Arup + DP Architects + AECOM
Capacity 55,000 seats
Cost $1.3bn