'World's greenest stadium', designed by Zaha Hadid Architects, would be made from wood
by Tom Walker | 06 Aug 2019
– Dale Vince
Dale Vince, chair of UK soccer team, Forest Green Rovers, has resubmitted a planning application for a new 5,000-capacity stadium development dubbed the "greenest football venue in the world".
Designed by Zaha Hadid Architects, the main stadium would be built almost entirely out of wood, making it the first of its kind in the world.
The stadium would be the centrepiece of the £100m Eco Park development – a 100-acre sports and green technology business park owned by Vince's green energy group, Ecotricity.
It would sit alongside training pitches, publicly accessible multi-disciplinary facilities and a sports science hub.
"We’ve done a huge amount to showcase sustainable initiatives at our current ground, The New Lawn, but Eco Park will take our sustainable thinking to a new level entirely," said Vince.
Plans for the venue – to be located close to the M5 motorway, around 10 miles north of Bristol, UK – were originally turned down by Stroud District Council's development control committee at a meeting on 12 June.
Vince – founder of Ecotricity – described the decision to turn down the plans ‘bizarre’ and has now made amendments to the proposals.
These include converting one of the two natural grass training pitches to a synthetic 4G surface, in order for local football clubs to use the pitch for regular training.
Vince said the material was chosen for being both a naturally occurring material and having a very low carbon content.
“If you bear in mind that around three-quarters of the lifetime carbon impact of any stadium comes from its building materials, you can see why this is so important – and it’s why our new stadium will have the lowest carbon content of any stadium in the world,” he said.
Forest Green Rovers has played its home games at the 5,100-capacity venue, The New Lawn, since 2006.
The new stadium was originally scheduled to be ready in time for the 2023-24 season.
Forest Green Rovers Dale Vince eco-park Zaha Hadid
03 Nov 2016
Zaha Hadid Architects win competition to design 'greenest stadium in the world'
14 Jul 2016
Dale Vince lifts the lid on 'first of its kind' Forest Green Rovers eco-stadium project
FEATURE: News Feature – Forest Green Rovers and the ‘world’s first’ eco-stadium
Dale Vince, chair of UK soccer team, Forest Green Rovers, has resubmitted a planning application for a new 5,000-capacity stadium development dubbed the "greenest football venue in the world". Designed by Zaha Hadid Architects, the main stadium would be built almost entirely out of wood, making it the first of its kind in the world. The stadium would be the centrepiece of the £100m Eco Park development – a 100-acre
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