“The way Daniel Levy set up the
project meant there was a level
of inter-dependence among
contractors that was unlike
anything we’ve done before in the UK”
Ryan Penny, senior development manager, Harman Audio
budget, or over deadline. “The Tottenham Hotspur
Stadium will be enjoyed for years and years and will
change the whole industry and no one will remember
the delays,” says Westwood.
Pulling together
Westwood echoes Ryan Penny’s descriptions of how
contractors were required to work in close harmony.
Forward Associates even shared an office with interior
design firm, F3 Architects as both worked on different
aspects of the premium hospitality areas. F3 designed
258,000ft2 (24,000m2) of internal spaces for the frontof
house premium areas, including restaurants, bars,
open plan and individual suites. They sub-contracted
Forward Associates to be the ‘brand guardians’ of the
club’s vision for these areas. “Sharing an office allowed
us to act as a conduit between Levy’s vision and the
architects. Working in a close partnership meant the
architecture was never disconnected from the original
vision. It’s an unusual approach that demonstrates how
the whole project was like a well-knit puzzle,”
Westwood says.
Every Tuesday, F3 and Forward Associates had to
make a detailed joint presentation to Daniel Levy and
his team about the progress of the hospitality elements
of the stadium. The meetings could go on for more
than two hours. “Daniel wanted to know the minor
details of everything. And that was just our meeting
about hospitality. There were regular meetings with
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR STADIUM
other contractors working on other aspects,” he says.
On Thursdays, meanwhile, Forward Associates had
internal meetings which produced fresh ideas that were
generally well-received.
Meanwhile, Forward Associates worked closely
with the main stadium architects, Populous, to create
the vision for the concourse outlets used by the general
admission fans. “Several years ago, I drew up
prototypes of how to develop the best guest experience
on the concourses and I shared these ideas with
Populous. Their final drawings took lots of principles
from my visuals and incorporated them into the DNA
of the project,” Westwood says.
At the heart of that vision, Westwood argues, is
a desire to transform long-standing perceptions of fan
behavior. The common assumption is that they will
bolt out of the stadium as soon as the whistle blows.
But Westwood says thousands have stayed behind
after games, tempted high-quality food and prices
that compete with the high street with freshly prepared
hot food cooked by chefs with experience of working
on the high street. “It’s a world away from traditional
‘hot-hold’ stadium food that is cooked elsewhere and
deteriorates,” Westwood says. “Having back lines of
chefs cooking and middle lines of people assembling
the food means we can also be flexible with menus.
That’s important because the clientele for an NFL game,
soccer game, or a concert, all want different types of
food,” he explains.
Pic: F3 Architects
(Above) The stadium’s interior
architects wanted to transform
the traditional perception of
general admission concourses
www.stadia-magazine.com September 2019 29
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