GBA were shortlisted to Stage 2 of the International Design Competition for a new sustainable ‘fan-focused’ football stadium for Forest Green Rovers (phase 1 – 5,000 seats, phase 2 – 10,000 seats). The client, Ecotricity,  is a green energy company based in Stroud, Gloucestershire and the competition is a part of the larger Outline Planning Application for Eco Park - a masterplan for green business and technology companies.

To satisfy the brief, our aim was to design an entirely timber football stadium. We thought this would send a very powerful message about the stadium, the team, and the organisation behind it, as well as become a beacon for the sustainable development in this sensitive rural location that is Eco Park.

We did this with a very simple and logical structure that repeats throughout the project. There are two arms and two legs- the arms hold up the roof, the legs hold up the tribunes. The stadium is organised with simple repetitive form that gives great flexibility and allows stands to be built as capacity is required to be increased.

All the elements are seen as pre-fabricated. Prefabricated construction provides the quickest, greenest and most controlled form of construction for a project of this scale, and also allows it to grow and expand in quick steps when it is required to.

The undulating roof is optimised structurally but is also designed to reduce the scale of the building in this sensitive environment. We see it as a series of trees you sit under to watch football in a relaxing and non-aggressive environment.