Design journey - Façade treatment and roof

The language of the West and East stands is roofed in their individual contexts; the roof designed to provide a lightness of touch and glimpses through the stadium.

West Stand

The West stand façade sits subservient to Johnstone Street. The harmonious order and form has been developed iteratively to provide a contemporary language which reflects but does not try to copy the rhythm and language of the city.

Key themes drawn from the context of the cityscape include the definition of vertical rhythms with structural columns and horizontal strata, the application of depth and perspective, the use of materials and the impact of light on the built form.

The materials for the West façade will include Bath stone for the colonnade, premium glazing using Vitrocsa or similar, a premium deep matt bronze finish applied to visible steel structure and window framing. The materials and tones will be animated by sun and daylight, similarly to the existing cityscape.

East Stand

The East stand is primarily for matchday use and to support use of the outfield by community users.

The South East corner hub houses rugby and operational facilities. More open in character than the West stand, the East stand façade language responds to the outfield making use of living green walls to integrate with the wider Recreation Ground, and providing additional ecology and biodiversity opportunities for the site.

A premium deep matt bronze finish will be applied to visible steel, making the structure recessive in near and far views.

Inverted Trusses

Inverted trusses support a cantilevered roof which ‘floats’ above the stands and provides an uninterrupted view for spectators. They also enable the roof to be tilted, mitigating its impact on views across the river from Grand Parade.

The primary columns sit within the stands, the engineering is incorporated and hidden within the architecture.

Space within the trusses enables plant to be concealed from view. The roofs will integrate photo-voltaic cells to provide for solar powered energy.