Basel, Switzerland–based Herzog & de Meuron, gained planning permissions to renovate British soccer team Chelsea FC’s official stadium, Stamford Bridge, in London. The firm’s vision entails placing 264 brick pillars around the historic stadium originally built in 1876, along with integrating more seating space. Local British firm Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands will also collaborate on the project.
Approved by Hammersmith & Fulham, a West London borough, the remodel will entail increasing spectator capacity by a little over 18,000 from its original 41,837. The construction cost is just shy of $609 million (£500 million pounds) and is set to be completed by 2021.
The soon-to-be-added 264 supportive brick pillars will serve both aesthetic and structural purposes. Surrounding the entire existing stadium, the overarching portion of the tilted piers will support a steel ring in order to create the extra space for spectators. The designers selected brick to blend in with the surrounding neighborhood, which saw a heavy dose of industrialization at the start of the 19th century. There will also be some space between the original structure, designed by Scottish architect Archibald Keitch, and the newly added edifices to provide shelter over the newly formed walkway.
