Twickenham Stadium - 82,000
Images from Novemeber - the capacity is now 82,000, and the only work that has to be done is the hotel at the front and the roof on the top. These pictures were taken by SSC forumer
edennewstairs and taken from the north stand - essentially the entire stadium is now a complete bowl.
Pictures by SSC forumer
CharlieP illustating the circular pedestrian ramps and other exterior work, as well as interior look.
Wembley Stadium - 90,000
Aerial view - the entire area around the stadium is to be redeveloped.
2012 Olympics - 80,000
Peter Cook will be the architect behind the 2012 Olympic Stadium....his previous work include this museum in Graz, Austria:
He will work upon the original idea of a stadium covered in 'muscles' and make it a reality.
Emirates Stadium - 60,000
The stadium has already seen action (the Premiership is half way through already), but work is still continuing as residential and commercial properties are constructed to the east (the top of this image) - this is what helped fund the stadium in the first place.
From the aerial, you also get an idea of how cramped the site is - the site is hemned in by the ECML that connects London to Edinburgh (London King's Cross would be several km to the left) to the bottom of the picture and the Northern City Line to the north which connects northern commuter settlements to Moorgate terminus in the City of London (ie Square Mile).
MK Dons Stadium - 30,000
MK Dons has an 'interesting' history. Originally the club was called Wimbledon FC - a reasonably successful (for its size and financial situation) club that fell into some financing difficulties. The solution was to uproot the club from Wimbledon and go to Milton Keynes (fastest growing city in Britain percentage wise) which lacked a football club of any sense - the reason being that it would tap into a new market. This thing is common in the US, but completely unheard of in Britain where moving a stadium to a new site 100m away causes condemnation. Loyal Wimbledon fans went onto support AFC Wimbledos. MK Dons have turned out to not be as successful as their previous incarnation and their solution is a new 30,000 stadium.
Milton Keynes is located 30minutes by train due north-west of London Euston Station. A 5,000 seater arena is also being built to the side of the stadium.
The below construction images have been taken (from various sources) over the last year and show the stadium nearing its completition of early next year.
Wimbledon Expansion (new Number 2 & 3 Courts
Top Wimbledon courts will be rebuilt for Olympics
All-England Club plans makeover for No 2 and No 3 courts as it prepares for Olympics
24 November, 2006
By Mark Leftly
Courts No 2 and No 3 at the All-England Club, home of the Wimbledon championships, are to be demolished and rebuilt in time for the 2012 London Olympics.
This is part of a wider redevelopment of the southern part of the site, which will include the provision of new restaurants.
The aim is to get Wimbledon, in south-west London, ready for the Olympic tennis tournament.
At present the two courts are considered to be too close together, cramping pedestrian movement. A source said: “The latest thinking is to do this build in two or three phases and aim for the Olympics. It would provide more space and better circulation.”
A second insider added: “The suggestion is to bring forward plans to fit with the Olympic timetable.”
No 2 court would be demolished and moved to the south-east of the site. No 3 court would be rebuilt on its current site or moved slightly westward.
Planning permission for a 5,000-seat No 2 court in the south-east corner was obtained in 2002, before London won the Olympics, to ensure that the estate could be updated quickly.
A spokesman for Wimbledon said: “We have no news on timings; we are reviewing the options. For the past 18 months we have been looking at it.”
However, sources close to the plans insist that the All-England Club is keen to get the project under way as soon as possible to complement the installation of an HOK Sport-designed roof on centre court, due for completion by 2009. Realigning the southern courts would mirror similar changes made to those in the north, where the courts are better spaced.
Building Design Partnership’s 1993 All-England Club masterplan stipulated that changes should be made by 2012 but those time limits have become outdated. As a result, new development has moved at a slower pace and taken a different direction to that intended.
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