This design for Wembley Stadium breaks with the traditions of stadium-building. It constructs a park round the stadium, stitching it into its surroundings and giving observers the necessary space to take it in as a building. The surroundings are drawn inside by creating a public plaza in the stadium where you can drink coffee or sit in the stands and read the paper. The stadium is brought out of its isolation. Fences are made unnecessary by digging a moat round the stadium with movable bridges to regulate entry.

Through this configuration, the new Wembley strengthens its role as a 'social cathedral' which fans can identify with and where they can feel fully involved with the match being played. Special software was developed as part of this final year project to achieve the ideal form. Stadiabuilder translates the key conditions for the best ambience into a 3D model. Spectators should sit right up against the pitch and feel that they could reach out and touch the players. Other essential requirements are optimum sight lines and sufficient leg room. Lastly, spectators should be able to differentiate between players with the naked eye. The generated model serves as a departure point for further research into the ideal proportions.

The stadium's structure proceeds from the visual splendour of the tiers of seating and the tilting forms. The two principal forces acting on the stadium are played off against one another to produce a relatively light though imposing structure. The weight of the stands provides the counterweight needed to protect the roof against wind suction. The enormous spans of the stands are taken up by the stands opposite using cables.

The roof is suspended high up so that all spectators can see each other and the notion of a social event is pumped up to the maximum. It is also transparent so that everyone can be seen even in helicopter shots for television. The structure parallels the subdivision of the plans. This framework can be observed even in the deepest recesses of the building, so that one is constantly aware of the fact that 'this is Wembley'.

Place of education: TU Delft
Specialization: architecture
Tutors: Robert Nottrot, Jacques Berenbak, Willem Hermans