Warner Stand

By Luca Maria Francesco Fabris - 7 December 2017

Back in London, this time in the realm of the most British of games: cricket. Populous architects together with Arup designed the new Warner Stand at Lord’s Cricket Ground, home to the Marylebone Cricket Club. Located at one corner of the grounds between listed buildings considered monuments to Britain’s past, the 2,674-seat stand marks a new construction milestone. Populous has adopted truly innovative contemporary language to combine the classical traits of the traditional sports stand with the new services demanded of a sports venue - several bars and a 136-cover restaurant with views over the pitch - and also satisfy environmental sustainability concerns. In fact, the building has been given a Very Good BREEAM rating. Open to the public since May 2017, the pioneering roof of the stand is formed from 11 cantilevered glue laminated (glulam) American white oak beams, manufactured in Germany by specialist timber fabricator Hess Timber, that cantilever radially some 18 to 24 meters from their reinforced concrete pivot at the center of the structure. The translucent fabric canopy makes the roof resemble a delicate palm leaf, its opalescent texture shielding spectators from direct sunlight. This is the first time that glue laminated American white oak has been used at this scale, which means that structural testing had to be done at Stuttgart University. The canopy slopes toward the central support so that rainwater can be collected and re-used for toilet flushing in the stand’s restrooms.