Spurs and the Olympic Stadium - post-grad Architecture project

[Pedro]

Thanks for all your replies.

Just to emphasis, this would be a complete redesign from initial principles, so problems with the existing design are irrelevant. It is worth keeping in mind whatever is built here would stand for hundreds of years (even if the buildings are replaced the network of spaces and built forms would remain approximately the same) so the focus of my project is the future of the site then converting that vision to hold an Olympics which is only a few weeks long. So in my view the future use is actually more important than holding the Olympics, which is where the current design fails in some respects.

Anyone have any news about the leaked drawings?

 

[Pedro]

I think you will find it very hard to pass your final year with a stadium design. Have you discussed this with your tutor?

Not yet, they may go nuts at the idea, and yes it may be risky, but I have already done my major project, this is a smaller project focusing on urban design, so its not just about the stadium but the whole site. I will make the stadium the main focus however, but the designs would be conceptual and strategic rather than full working drawings. This would include the overal form and appearance but not exact construction details etc - that would be a two year project in itself, I only have until May.

Thanks for your concern though :wink:

 

[Pedro]

I would like to know some of your opinions on this, is the site an acceptable location?

From a personal point of view, the location is absolutely ideal. I'm on the eastern side of the Central Line (as a lot of Essex Spurs fans are) and this would be, what, 6 stops - 15 minutes away.

Stratford also has links into Essex as far as Southend, and has regular trains through to Brentwood/Chelmsford/Shenfield.

It has a quick Liverpool Street service too. Quicker than to WHL. 5 minutes??

It also has DLR and Jubilee lines and the newly baptised London Overground (shut until 2010!!).

Those saying it has poor transport links are talking out of bottoms; and really don't know the area.

It's basically a bus depot too, there's loads of good transport links (although the roads get a tad busy) and with the extension plans that were in the Press a couple of months ago, it would be a much more accessible place in general. (I believe).

Would you be willing to travel there?

Hell yes.

Bare in mind that in theory this could be a much better stadium than any we could get if started from scratch (for the money, since we would get at a cut price), and it would be adapted to suit football from the initial designs (i.e. moving the stands closer to the pitch, getting rid of the running track).

Agreed - there would have to be changes to the overall design (as you suggest) - the running track would have to go, as suggested by others that it just completely dims any atmosphere the Yid Army creates.

Obviously you're the architect bod, so I expect you'd have to think of other design issues - but from a logistical/infrastructure point of view it's 100 times what Tottenham is.

Hope that helps mate.

Thanks stoof, some good possitive stuff there.
Since the project is about the whole site transport will be the first thing I will look at, so good connections into central london and the surrounding areas will be vital.

The design has to accomodate a huge amount of people from the outset with massive public spaces, so a 'legacy' that contiues to encourage large volumes of people is more appropriate in my view.

 

[SpursManChris]

No, It's just not a football stadium. Simple as that. My greatest wish is for us to stay at the Lane and have it renovated and expanded, take away the ugly two poles, make two of the stands 3 tier, or else expand the dimensions of the ground and have just wider, bigger capacity 2 x tiers similar to Old Trafford. I don't like Man City's ground for instance, it's just not English. See, Old Trafford, it's on the ball. It's a beast of a stadium but it still has that great English feel about it, it's rectangle and angular, none of this dome/arena/rounded type thing happening. And this is exactly what Olympic Stadium is like. If we do have to move, I sincerely hope we don't just go for the first cliche
next-gen arena design that the board receive straight off the bat. I wan't something that is modernised-traditional and authentic.

 

[Pedro]

Pedro, I work at the Government Olympic Executive at the DCMS. Any questions you may have about 2012 i'd be happy to try and answer them for you.

Regarding the transport links, it also has the new CTRL from St Pancras into europe. New Stratford Market and Stratford City stations on the DLR are being built. Straford station itself is having a major overhaul, new platforms, easier access and a better DLR terminus which is almost finished.

Regarding new tenants for the stadium in legacy mode, no concrete decision has yet to be made. There were three footie teams in the running, us West Ham and Orient. Ken is totally against us or west ham taking it, purely for the fact that if we did we would demand that it stays at 60,000+. If Orient move in, they would happily take a 25,000 stadium with a running track. West Ham already have plans to build a new stadium on the site of the post office depot at West Ham Station.

As i said, any questions you may have Pedro, i'l be happy to try and answer them.

Thanks, thats very good of you, I'll get in contact once the project is underway. Im going on a site visit (to the accessible parts) next week, so I should have a clearer picture as to where this is heading after then.

Luckily since this is only theoretical I can to some extent ignore what Ken wants. However I will have to prove the feasibility of this idea and produce a reasoned argument for it.

 

[General Levy]

Pedro, I work at the Government Olympic Executive at the DCMS. Any questions you may have about 2012 i'd be happy to try and answer them for you.

Regarding the transport links, it also has the new CTRL from St Pancras into europe. New Stratford Market and Stratford City stations on the DLR are being built. Straford station itself is having a major overhaul, new platforms, easier access and a better DLR terminus which is almost finished.

Regarding new tenants for the stadium in legacy mode, no concrete decision has yet to be made. There were three footie teams in the running, us West Ham and Orient. Ken is totally against us or west ham taking it, purely for the fact that if we did we would demand that it stays at 60,000+. If Orient move in, they would happily take a 25,000 stadium with a running track. West Ham already have plans to build a new stadium on the site of the post office depot at West Ham Station.

As i said, any questions you may have Pedro, i'l be happy to try and answer them.

Do you have any more information with regards to West Ham's proposed new stadium?

 

[montylynch]

Not really, its only what i picked up from West Ham fan sites and the fact that they didn't want the Olympic Stadium.

Several designs had been submitted, which turned out to be fakes, which got the WHU fans in a tizz for a few days. They have only, so far i beleive, stated that's where they want it and how big they want it. The rest is, as always, heresay.

Not sure how the local councils will take it though, being as it's so close to the Olympic Park. But it's only over the road from their old training ground and bang next door to West Ham station.