Herzog and de Meuron’s Spectacular Portsmouth Stadium

Some stunning pictures recently surfaced of Herzog and De Meuron’s latest oeuvre, a £600 million soccer stadium to be constructed in Portsmouth, England. In keeping with their Beijing Bird’s Nest, the venerable Swiss architects have created a striking 36,000 seat stadium that will include an exhibition center, housing, and a park. Envisioned as a shining waterfront beacon, the development will revitalize Horsea Island (a former landfill site) via an abundance of green spaces, a sustainable energy program, and a low-carbon emission scheme.
Sports venues raise an problematic environmental quandary, since the carbon emissions incurred by transportationt to and from stadiums can be staggering. We were impressed that Herzog and de Meuron’s development will employ a variety of sustainable approaches to offset these carbon costs.

The project will reclaim a great expanse of land from Horsea Island, introducing 1.5 acres of public space. Bus, park-and-ride, pedestrian and train services will be provided to help cut down on emissions, and entire island will incorporate a sustainable energy approach that will “take advantage of the different program elements to work together and ensure a low carbon emission scheme.”

A series of 750 waterfront residential units were designed by such that “the depth and height of the built unit is limited to ensure both interior and exterior spaces can always be naturally lit.” James Sellar has stated: “Our challenge is to deliver a solution that coordinates the needs for user comfort, sustainable access and cost effectiveness while keeping input of materials and energy to run the facility as low as possible.”

Land reclamation work is tentatively scheduled for 2008, with construction of the stadium to begin next year.

dezeen.com