The 62,303-seat Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, located in London, is the largest club stadium in London and the first in the world to be custom-built to stage soccer and NFL football games, thanks to its fully retractable pitch.
The soccer pitch sits atop the football field and in order to reveal the latter, the former needs to split into three sections to maneuver around two massive supports under the south stands. The pitch runs along tracks and slowly moves into a covered parking lot on the south end of the stadium where it is stored. While in storage, LED lights provide the grass with enough light to keep it alive, but not so much that it will begin to grow out of control, and autonomous mowers keep the grass at a proper length.
The Populous-designed stadiums features uninterrupted sight lines and brings spectators closer to the pitch than at any comparable ground in the UK. The stands are angled at 35 degrees to create a tighter, atmospheric stadium bowl. The southern “home end” of the stadium (under which the pitch is stored) seats 17,500 spectators, making it the largest single-tier stand in the UK. The seating rows are separated by an ergonomically profiled bar set at 900mm for clear sight lines. Each of the seats provides the same levels of comfort and leg room as any other seat anywhere in the stadium and is fitted with a lock to ensure it can be securely fixed in the upright position.
The stadium also features something not seen every day in a stadium, a microbrewery. Owned and operated by local brewer Beavertown, the brewery makes approximately 23,000 pints of beer per match. Another interesting feature for those who like to imbibe in alcoholic beverages is the Goal Line Bar. At 65 meters, the bar is the longest in Europe.
Both the microbrewery and the Goal Line Bar are located in The Market Place, a fan zone with street-food style market stalls in the South Stand atrium. The South Stand Atrium is five stories high and will provide a new meeting place for home supporters before and after matches.
Other features include fine dining experiences; The Tunnel Club, a glass-walled private members club allowing fans a behind-the-scenes view of the players making their way from the pitch, as well as seats located behind the First Team technical area; and The Sky Lounge, where guests can enjoy panoramic views of London from the stadium’s highest point.
There are also a number of experiences for fans available year round, such as the 38,000-sf visitors center with the largest club retail space in Europe, the club museum and archives, and a publicly accessible cafe with an outdoor seating area.
Related Stories
Sports and Recreational Facilities | Apr 9, 2015
Design for new Milwaukee Bucks arena is ‘modest and modernist’
Designed by local firm Eppstein Uhen Architects and global firm Populous, the sports venue will prominently feature a swoop, which some journalists and critics have likened to an inverted Nike swoosh.
Structural Materials | Mar 30, 2015
12 projects earn structural steel industry's top building award
Calatrava's soaring Innovation Science and Technology Building at Florida Polytechnic University is among the 12 projects honored by the American Institute of Steel Construction in the 2015 IDEAS² awards competition.
Sports and Recreational Facilities | Mar 24, 2015
Another plan for renovating Houston’s Astrodome blends public space and history
A ULI panel of experts recommends a $242 million renovation that converts the massive building into a park that ties into surrounding facilities.
Sponsored | Cladding and Facade Systems | Mar 24, 2015
Designers turn a struggling mall into a hub of learning and recreation
Architects help Nashville government transform a struggling mall into a new community space.
Sports and Recreational Facilities | Mar 19, 2015
Populous design wins competition for UK's most sustainable arena
The live-concert venue will seat an audience of 12,000, which the firm says will be masked by “the atmosphere and intimacy of a 4,000-seat amphitheatre.”
Sports and Recreational Facilities | Mar 11, 2015
Foster + Partners wins bid for 2022 World Cup centerpiece stadium in Qatar
Norman Foster described the design as “an exciting step forward in stadium design—it will be the first to break the mold of the free-standing suburban concept, and instead anticipates the grid of this future city.”
Sports and Recreational Facilities | Mar 5, 2015
New HOK designs for St. Louis NFL stadium unveiled
Missouri Governor Jay Nixon has assembled a task force to develop plans for an open-air NFL stadium on the North Riverfront of downtown St. Louis.
Codes and Standards | Mar 5, 2015
FEMA cuts off funding to Indiana after Kokomo continues building stadium in flood zone
FEMA will withhold funding on $5.5 million worth of projects such as building tornado safe rooms in schools.
Sports and Recreational Facilities | Feb 21, 2015
Pumped-up recreation centers help build body, mind, and spirit
Adopting facility layouts from Asian and European models, today’s sports and recreational buildings are becoming social hubs that accommodate a variety of community needs.
Sports and Recreational Facilities | Feb 20, 2015
Chargers, Raiders propose joint stadium in Carson
Two rival teams may bring the NFL back to Los Angeles.