With the demand for multi-use developments and
year-round revenue generation, the masterplan of
today’s stadium projects goes beyond the facility
itself and now incorporates a vision for how it can
be built within a wider socio-economic context
asterplanning is not an adjunct to the
process of stadia construction but
represents the reconnection of the
product with its societal origins and
ensures its financial viability. The
whole-picture approach also brings into focus
economic and environmental considerations,
sustainability, ease of use and, more recently, an acute
awareness of the importance of health and safety in the
context of creating a systemic barrier against the
transmission of infection.
“Nowadays more and more of the masterplanning
looks beyond the stadium boundary and thinks about
what complementary uses and what enabling
development you might have as part of that masterplan
piece. You can also think about all those things that are
important for making that development work, so
things such as transport accessibility, supporting
infrastructure, what environmental impacts and how
sustainable the development might be over a long
period of time,” explains Rob Amphlett, director of
sports sector at Buro Happold.
Tony Morris, managing director of Hilson Moran
echoes this sentiment and adds that whereas the
experience within a stadium has traditionally been the
main focus, now owners are having to look at how it
can add extra value, which is interwoven within the
context of the surroundings. “We’re looking at
integration of energy and technology, how that stadium
connects to itself and its surrounding infrastructure.
The surrounding space of a stadium has other
functionality and how facilities interrelate with
technology systems and can adapt is very important as
well. There are many layers,” says Morris. “Whether it
is a new or existing stadium that we are working on, it
is important to understand what the purpose is, what
the venue is going to need to support, what type of
events are going to be there, and what kind of people
are going to be going to that type of event.”
Credit: Populous/ Hufton + Crow
MASTERPLANNING
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