English football club Forest Green Rovers selected the design by renowned architectural firm Zaha Hadid Architects as their new stadium. The design, embodying low carbon construction, will be the world’s first all-timber football stadium.

Called Eco Park Stadium, the design is said to retain and enhance the existing meadow landscape of the site. It will be the first all-wooden football stadium, with almost every element made from sustainably sourced laminated timber, including its structure, roof cantilevers and louvered cladding. Even the seating terraces and floor slab is made of timber, while most stadiums use concrete or steel.

The stadium’s rood is covered with a transparent membrane, which contributes to turf growth, minimises stark shadow for players and fans, and reduces the volumetric impact of the stadium from distant views in the surrounding landscape.

Half of the park will consist of state-of-the-art sporting facilities, including all-weather training pitches and a sports science hub.

The new stadium aims to be carbon neutral or even carbon negative, including measures such as on-site renewable energy generation.

Images: MIR