Football

Do you have a considered, professional opinion on this? I'd like to recycle it in the real world.

Look at some more pictures over here and come back with your thoughts on them.
http://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/news/west-london-news/stamford-bridge-expansion-chelsea-fans-9975993

Looks like a great stadium to me but I'm biased, obviously.

I think it's an improvement on what is currently there (though that's not difficult!) but i'm surprised that such a dominating design will be tolerated in an area full of expensive houses and nimby types.

Despite it being an improvement, it feels very 'eastern block' to me. Colourless and maybe a little drab?

I think it's gorgeous... But I'm biased, obviously...

Gorgeous? Really

Bloody clever, those Swiss... I bet @Prole. is a Herzog & de Meuron fanboy...

I don't like it much, but it does seem to be designed not to make too much of a statement. The area it's in is quite commercial, there are some residential areas close by but it's sat next to a train line. I'm sure our ex-mayor and current councillor has something to say about it as she's a direct neighbour.

It reminds me of one of this things builded with matches by inmates, not sure if you know what I'm talking though.

Positives are that it means we will stay where we have always been. This is good. It is a tight use of of a tight space. Two sides are railway lines and the stadium will extend over them.

The club has promised to keep people together. This will aid atmosphere.

It is a unique design. Difficult to see quite how it will look but it will be impressive. It is not like the Allianz Arena which is an out of town site. It is designed for its place.

Downsides, it is only 60,000 which seems low. Of the additional seating, 10,000 will be corporate. A way to increase revenue but will not add to atmosphere. Also places an even heavier reliance on Fulham Broadway which is straining at present.

Three years at the mausoleum that is Wembley with a capacity reduced to 55,000 does not inspire either.

Exactly what I thought too.

Model looks like model.

Agree about the capacity, it would put less strain on public transport if tickets went to fans who live within walking distance. Shame also about the corporate side getting such a big boost, I guess it will make up for having fewer seats as they fetch a lot more per ticket.

I'm not looking forward to the Wembley years either. Or the massive disruption to local traffic.

I was hoping for someone else's opinion to lazily plagiarise (see corny/Sid low, corney/Jonathan Wilson ect).

Think i'll just do what I always do. Slag it off to Chelsea supporters, talk it up to supporters of other teams.

actually I do like it.

The bigger question is whether they will they let random groups of cyclists in to take photographs of each other?

I'm not too familiar with the area, but the references to Gothic architecture and Westminster Cathedral don't seem to chime with the site or a football ground of any era. Gothic architecture was certainly imposing and this manages that trick without being too overbearing on the site (unifying the form certainly helps and it looks well resolved in that respect). At least with Herzog & de Meuron you won’t get a Zaha Hadid style signature stadium.

Haven’t seen much information on how the ‘public’ realm around the stadium will work, for me that’s one of the most important aspects to a ground, how it serves to heighten expectation / build atmosphere. I.e. Wembley kind of works (but not up close or if you want to get out in a hurry), Pride Park doesn’t. I hope it doesn’t just become a car park for one’s Range Rovers. It’s definitely the right idea to open up the space around the ground.

Also interested to hear more detail about how H&dM’s role will be post-concept design. I assume that a London based architect will be appointed as delivery architect for the construction phase with H&dM overseeing it from the clients side, if so who? There are architects who have plenty of experience in designing stadiums, but getting the detailing of brickwork etc right to pull of the concept is another matter (Gothic architecture may have been imposing but the interiors and the brickwork are sublime).

Thanks Prole. I'm going to learn that verbatim and repeat robot like at anyone who even mentions west London to me. That should buy a few friends and earn a bit of respect.

If you ever need a considered opinion on being a small cog in a big machine, managing under motivation or doing boring stuff for other people let me know.

Most important part of a ground is the time it takes to have a piss and a pint at half time.

For those that don't egg chase; at the stoop, when the ref blows for a scrum, you can have a piss and get a round in and be back in your seat to drink it before the first reset is called.

^e.g. the perfect stadium.

Bit like Brentford.

Not in the away end, they don't sell beer!

If you ever sat (yes, past tense, demolition started today) in the Warner stand at Lord's the urinal in the gents had a window open to the ground. The top bar used to be the old press box (before the new media centre was built) so the toilets were designed so that the journos wouldn't miss anything whilst emptying their bladder.

It's a bit "Brutalist" in style.

Win!

you can take the man out of the ussr but you can't take ussr out of the man

looks like one of those 1950's grand soviet concrete structures

Westminster Abbey. The Cathedral is Byzantine in style.