Engineers help improve the view at Lord's Cricket Ground, London

The Warner Stand at Lord's Cricket Ground offered lacklustre fan experiences, in part due to its poor viewing angle offering on match action. To upgrade the viewing experience, among a range of sustainability and hospitality improvements, Marylebone Cricket Club hired external engineers and consultants Arup, Populous and BAM.

The Lord’s Cricket Ground was finally laid in 1814 by Thomas Lord, following two earlier relocations of the pitch. The grounds, which has been host to top tier cricket games ever since, is today owned by Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC). The grounds remain an iconic feature both of London and the cricketing world – aside from the grounds, Lord’s offers seven stands, one pavilion and a media centre, from which to view matches.

The Warner Stand

One of the stands, the Warner Stand, has imposed certain frustrations on fans, owing to its poor viewing angles due to shallow inclinations. In a bid to improve the stands’ experience, the Marylebone Cricket Club reached out to Arup and BAM and architects Populous to rectify the defects in the stand. The engineering and consulting firms worked together to design a new stand, while respecting the architectural heritage and character of the existing buildings.

Arup and Populous worked to improve the various seating tiers’ line of sight by focusing on their respective geometry, thereby maximising the viewing experience for fans. In addition, the firms worked with the client to create a new hospitality venue. They also sought to improve the overall sustainability of the stadium, leveraging a range of solutions to achieve energy savings across all systems including, heating, cooling and cooking. Services extended into fire engineering, pedestrian modelling, acoustics and biodiversity consulting.

Commenting on the completed project, Robert Ebdon, MCC’s Assistant Secretary (Estates), said, “MCC created a tough brief, requiring a structure which delivered exceptional facilities for spectators, a unique experience for meetings and events and provided an outstanding working environment, while meeting sustainability and accessibility targets. The expertise and knowledge brought by ensured that these objectives were met and delivered a truly world-class building.”

Michael Trousdell, Lead Building Services Engineer at Arup commented, “The Warner Stand project created an exciting opportunity for our building services team to deliver an innovative sustainable design. The zero fossil fuels solution sets the trend for future buildings of any type. We are especially excited about the combined heating and cooling system and the energy saving this technology can deliver.”

For more information on the new Warner Stand watch this video on YouTube.