Forest Green Rovers Eco Stadium

Location

Gloucestershire

Client

Forest Green Rovers FC

Team

Engineers: AECOM

Status

Shortlisted competition entry, jury commendation

Our design for the new Forest Green Rovers Stadium is inspired by the landscape of the Stroud Valleys, in particular the Neolithic burial mounds and Iron Age hill forts that can be found in the area. These ancient man-made structures have survived intact for thousands of years, the inhabitants of the area at the time worked with the materials they found locally to shape the landscape and create these architectural forms that exist to this day.

We wanted to learn from this timeless idea by creating a modern sports stadium that works with the landscape, creating a new monumental architectural form that can be used by the community as well as the sports club for generations to come. Our design takes the form of an inhabitable hill, in the centre of which has been carved a football stadium. The hill itself becomes a landscaped park featuring a series of sloped terraces which rise gently in an arrangement of bands to create a space that can be used by the community for recreational activities such as jogging, cycling or walking a dog in the sunshine. The rooftop park also provides access to a number of community facilities such as a cafe, restaurant, gym and changing room facilities for the surrounding pitches and tennis courts.