The New Tottenham Hotspur Stadium: the value of engineering

摘要

The club's new stadium has exceeded even its high expectations, with fans coming earlier and staying longer, and the fan experience elevated to new levels. The NFL was persuaded to come to Tottenham, and the first two matches have been a huge success - one NFL player even saying it was the best stadium he had ever played in. The structures engineered by the team have contributed significantly to this success and our work was recognised at the end of 2019 when the team was awarded both the Award for Long Span Structures and the Supreme Award for Structural Engineering Excellence at the Structural Awards (Figure 25). The engineering of this project has generated many innovations in stadium design in both approach (e.g. bowl dynamics and early consideration of detailed phasing plans) and delivery (e.g. South Stand fabrication and cable-net roof). This has required both time and money, but the quality is undeniable and so this has value. While each of these individual innovations is not a massive leap in itself, the sum of the parts clearly represents a significant shift given all the plaudits and awards. There are many unique features and subtly different arrangements of spaces or application of guidance, but, more importantly, there is very little compromise in terms of satisfying the fundamental brief requirements. This no-compromise approach is the future for the design of stadia and venues, and how we will, as engineers, bring best value to our projects - we are the collaborators and innovators, we must understand the part we play, and ensure this part is valued by those around us.