St James’s Park in Newcastle city centre is the home of Newcastle United Football Club (NUFC). The stadium is a landmark in the region, with facilities the envy of virtually every football club in Europe.
Redevelopment began at St James’s Park in 1990 to modernise the stadium, with the introduction of multi-storey car parking, facilities for corporate events, conferencing and banqueting, exhibition space, bars, restaurants and retailing. The capacity of the ground was increased from 36 000 to 52 500 all seated spectator accommodation.
Europe’s largest single span glazed cantilever roof
WSP has been responsible for all civil and structural engineering relating to the progressive modernisation of the stadium over the last 15 years. Our most visible achievement is the stadium roof, which provides the crowd with an uninterrupted view whilst protecting them from the weather. To allow sunlight to reach the pitch, the final design required the roof and the side walls for the stands to be made of glass. This solution called for the design of the largest single span glazed cantilever roof and suspended glass gables in Europe, with self- cleaning glass for ease of maintenance.
Increased seating capacity
The development programme required an additional tier of seating to be added to half of the existing stadium during the football season. By careful design and close working with the club, WSP was able to ensure that there was no major loss of seating capacity during this phase of construction.
WSP’s understanding and ability to work within the urban constraints of the ground have helped the club to fully maximise its potential. The scheme was completed on time and without compromising the operational flexibility of the stadium during construction work. Some seating and corporate entertainment areas were handed over early so that the club could maintain its revenues throughout the period of redevelopment.
Project information
Client: Newcastle United Football Club
Project size: 52,000 seat stadium
Project value: £100M total investment
Status: completed