Herzog & de Meuron's £500M Stamford Bridge Stadium Approved

The London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham has unanimously approved Herzog & de Meuron's design for the new Stamford Bridge stadium of Chelsea FC. The project, initiated in 2014, was originally masterplanned by Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands, with the Swiss architects tasked to rethink the structure designed in 1876 by Archibald Leitch. The £500 million renovation features an irregular shell of 264 brick ribs enveloping the existing structure, converging into a circular ring at 50 meters height and opening into a rectangular aperture over the pitch. A monumental portico will surround the arena, offering over 60,000 square meters of services including a restaurant, shop, and museum. The four-tier, three-level stadium will seat 60,000 spectators, matching the capacity of rival Arsenal's ground. Designed as a contemporary cathedral of football, it aims to be permeable like traditional English grounds and in material continuity with the surrounding Victorian terraces. Construction was slated for 2021. This is the latest in a series of stadiums by the Swiss duo, who previously designed the Allianz Arena in Munich, St. Jakob Park in Basel, Nouveau Stade in Bordeaux, and the Bird's Nest for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.