Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA) has just won another major commission: the Forest Green Rovers football stadium in Stroud, UK. The announcement follows a seven month competition, with ZHA winning out over 50+ entries from around the world.

The stadium will be built almost entirely out of wood, which the Forest Green Rovers’ chairman, Dale Vince, asserts will make it have “the lowest embodied carbon of any stadium in the world”. Alongside a timber structure, roof, cantilevers and cladding, the stadium’s floor slab and seating terraces will be made of wood. According to the press release, the timber will be sourced sustainably.

“The stadium’s roof is covered with a transparent membrane, which contributes to turf growth, minimizes stark shadows for players and fans and reduces the volumetric impact of the stadium from distant views in the surrounding landscape,” states James Heverin, Director of ZHA.

“The stadium’s design incorporates the club’s future growth. Initially for 5,000 spectators, increasing to 10,000 with the club’s success, expansion from phase 1 to phase 2 can be achieved without the costs of major construction works."

The stadium will serve as the centrepiece for a £100million Eco Park development, comprising a 100 acre sports park and a “green technology” business park. The developers believe the Eco Park will create up to 4,000 jobs. The development will also include a nature reserve, a potential public transport hub, and on-site renewable energy generation.

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