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Wembley National Stadium

Wembley National Stadium

 


The completion of Wembley National Stadium designed by Foster + Partners and HOK Sport, heralds a new chapter for Britain's iconic venue. With facilities designed to world-class standards and an unparalleled attention to spectator comfort, the stadium´s rich legacy will continue for millions of sports and music fans.

Originally known as the "Empire Stadium", Wembley Stadium was built for the British Empire Exhibition of 1924 and was first opened for the 1923 FA Cup Final. Since then it has become the most important sports venue in Britain. Home to the England national football team, Wembley was the site of the Olympic Games in 1948 and the football World Cup Final in 1966. It has also acted as a venue for major rock concerts and other popular events.

The new Wembley Stadium will be the first of a new generation of sports stadia, with facilities unparalleled anywhere in the world, including banqueting halls, pre-function gathering spaces and facilities for media coverage. The design builds upon the heritage of the old stadium to provide future generations of sports and music fans with a venue equipped for the twenty-first century. When completed, it will form a new home for English football.

A key feature of the new stadium is its partly retractable roof. When fully open it allows sunlight to reach the whole pitch - an essential element in maintaining the world-standard quality of the turf. In poor weather, the roof can be closed within 1 hour, providing cover for all 90,000 seats.

The roof is supported structurally by a spectacular 135-metre-high arch that soars over the stadium, providing an iconic replacement for the old building´s landmark twin towers. Dramatically illuminated at night, the arch will be visible from vantage points across London.

Facilities are designed to maximise spectator comfort and enjoyment of events: the stadium´s geometry with its curved seating tiers ensure that everyone has an unobstructed view; seats are wider than the previous stadium with more leg-room; the second and third tiers are easily accessed via escalators and a new concourse wrapping around the building allows easy circulation and provides catering for all, including 10,000 seated diners at any one time.

To create an intimate atmosphere during matches, the stadium has been designed with seats as close to the pitch as possible. However it also has the potential to host athletics track and field competitions, for which an elevated track and athletics arena can be installed above the pitch and the first few rows of the lower tier, supported by a temporary rigid deck structure. At the same time, acoustic performance has been given particular attention to continue the thrilling "Wembley roar" that energises this spectacular venue.

Arch
- The arch structure supports approximately 60% of the total weight of the main roof.
- The arch has a span of 315m, is 135m high and weighs 1,750 tonnes, making it the largest clear span stadium roof structure in the world. For this span, the arch form uses approximately two thirds of the amount of steel compared to using a conventional truss girders.
- The arch leans asymmetrically to the north, clear from the path of the moving roof panels on the south east and west sides.
- The arch is visible from Central London and creates an iconic symbol for the new Wembley Stadium. It can be illuminated up at night by internally mounted light projectors.
- The arch includes an internal powered cradle which allows maintenance access to all parts of the arch

Roof
- Large spanning roof with moving roof panels suspended below arch; partially retractable; in closed position the roof covers all 90,000 seats
- Retracting roof panels on the south-east and west sides allow extra daylight and ventilation at pitch level and enhance growing conditions for the natural grass pitch.
- Retractable roof panels can open and close within 60 minutes.
- With the roof in retracted position, late spring matches such as the FA Cup final can be played on a sunlit pitch for better spectator viewing, especially for those watching on TV, without heavy contrast between shade and sunlight across the pitch.

Pitch
The pitch is orientated with its long axis east west as in the old stadium.

Facilities
- Hospitality accommodation, function rooms, concert facilities
- Catering facilities on concourses, including 12 restaurants ranging from 500 to 2,000 seats
- 2,600 toilets

General
- With 90,000 seating capacity, the new Wembley Stadium will be the largest all-seater football configuration stadium in the world with the roof covering every seat.
- The new stadium can be used for major athletics events by installing a temporary platform within the stadium. For athletics events, the stadium capacity can be between 68,400 and 72,000 depending on the arena requirements of the athletics event owner.

Area (net)
120,000m² hospitality accommodation

Budget
Shell and core £ 350 million
Cost per seat £ 3,300