(all images courtesy Populous)
by Ron Bernthal
The multi-award-winning Tottenham Hotspur Stadium has become the a new benchmark in global stadium design, offering one of the finest spectator experiences in the world and, by incorporating a fully retractable pitch, becoming the first purpose-built home for the NFL in Europe. With a capacity of 62,303, the stadium was completed in 2019 and has delivered a new era for Tottenham Hotspur Football Club and has created a major landmark for both the district of Tottenham and London itself.
The stadium was designed by the London-based architectural firm Populous to deliver one of the best matchday atmospheres in the world, with uninterrupted sightlines and spectators closer to the pitch than at any comparable ground in the UK. The stands are made as steep as UK guidelines recommend, creating a tighter, more compact stadium bowl which focusses towards the southern ‘home end’, where 17,500 Spurs fans join together to generate a deafening ‘wall of sound’ in what is the largest single-tier stand in the UK.
Fan spaces across every level at the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium deliver incomparable levels of quality and choice. The five-storey atrium space in the South Stand provides a vibrant area for the home support to gather before and after matches, with a range of food stalls, a microbrewery, and a 213 foot-long bar – the longest in Europe – which mirrors the full length of the goal line on the pitch behind.
Populous was the architect for the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium project, responsible for all aspects of the design of the scheme from 2014 and the initial concept stages, through to the completion of construction works in 2019. The full development incorporates the stadium, a new visitors center, and the Club’s new headquarters building. Future developments include an extreme sports building and a hotel.
Populous’ specialist brand activation team was commissioned to investigate the Club’s brand identity to deliver an authentic scheme for environmental graphics. The primary focus of this piece of work was in embedding the Club’s history into the fabric of the building itself, creating statement gestures such as the huge concrete letters affixed to the building’s northern elevation spelling out the Club’s motto, that will endure for as long as the stadium is standing.
Populous was challenged to develop a creative alternative to traditional wayfinding methods to support the stadium’s complementary mix of uses. At the core of the design is the incorporation of LED technology into classic wayfinding totems to create variable digital signage. This provides the building’s operations team with a significant degree of flexibility, allowing event-specific information to be displayed and last-minute changes or messages to be quickly programmed.
Populous partnered with its sister company, Jump Studios, to deliver the design for the stadium’s general admission concourse spaces, incorporating 61 bars, eateries and coffee shops. Highlights of the scheme include three pub-style feature bars, an expansive food court inspired by local street markets, and the world’s first in-stadium microbrewery, developed in partnership with operator Beavertown Brewery. Populous and Jump Studios were also responsible for the concept designs for the stadium’s premium hospitality areas.
Continuing its long-standing partnership with the NFL, Populous’ events team is tasked with delivering the NFL’s annual London Games Series, with matches hosted at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and Wembley Stadium. Drawing on the expertise of architects and specialist event planners from across the firm’s global practice, the scope of service spans overlay design, accreditation, wayfinding, operations and transportation.
The Northumberland Development Project is a mixed-use development project that centers around the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, which replaced White Hart Lane as home of the Hotspur FC. During the past few years this northern part of Tottenham High Road and its vicinity has been revitalized by the new stadium. Local shops, restaurants and cafes line the busy High Road. The Bruce Castle Museum, a 10-minute walk from the stadium, has interesting displays about local history, contained in a 16th-century manor house set in a beautiful park setting. Bike and walking paths run alongside the nearby River Lea and through the adjoining Tottenham Marshes.
