The new West Stand at Leicester Tigers’ Welford Road Stadium is now under construction. The new development will seat approximately 3,100, taking total capacity to 26,000 and will also provide the club with new offices, premium hospitality suite (The Clubhouse) and terrace.
The new West Stand is a continuation of AFL’s 2009 North Stand development, and will sit on the site previously occupied by the Club House Stand. The sweeping dynamic form of the stand responds to the unusual trapezoidal shape of the site and provides spectators with excellent views of the pitch, with the design of the south-west corner of the stand allowing for the next phase of development. For continuity of the stadium’s development, the West Stand will use the same crisp palette of brick and curtain wall glazing materials as the North Stand.
General admission spectator facilities are located on the ground floor, as are the ticket office and shop, with staff offices and associated facilities located on the first floor. The second floor accommodates the stadium control room, VIP hospitality suite and terrace.
The West Stand standard seating and concourse will be ready for the opening month of the season with the rest of the stand due to complete in January 2016. The main contractor for the project is Buckingham Group.
“Welford Road is an iconic rugby stadium and we have worked closely with AFL over a number of years with the development of the North Stand and now the West Stand,” says Simon Cohen, chief executive of Leicester Tigers. “The development of the new stand at the clubhouse end will provide improved facilities for our supporters and a new backdrop to the action on the pitch. We look forward to welcoming our supporters in their new positions in the new season.”
The project team is made up AFL Architects, contractor Buckingham Group, M&E engineers Arup, structural engineers Mott MacDonald, cost consultant and client project manager Frank Whittle Partnership, and concept/detail design structure from Aecom.
