The Alexander Stadium is an international athletics venue that has hosted many notable events on the sporting calendar. To continue its legacy, a £72m redevelopment of the stadium and 41-acre site led by Birmingham City Council (BCC) was undertaken to create a world-class, dynamic venue that contributes to the long-term regeneration of the area and maintains a centre of excellence in the City of Birmingham.

Arup supported BCC with design, planning and technical expertise to transform the quality of the stadium and public spaces. Our work helped expand the use of the stadium beyond sporting events to accommodate community and cultural needs. The redeveloped stadium unifies existing components to stand elegantly alongside neighbouring buildings and the surrounding landscape as a symbol of pride for the city.

We adopted a collaborative and personable approach to ensure community buy-in and build positive relationships with residents, businesses and organisations. The renovation of the wider stadium site evolved in phases, with each phase providing a unique opportunity for the broader city community to contribute and benefit.

Getting the project off the ground

Within the first few weeks of inception, our design team turned their focus to designing an efficient and carefully detailed stadium using parametric design tools to optimise seating geometries. We developed a hybrid planning application strategy for the site, working closely with the council and local stakeholders to ensure a smooth pathway through the planning process. 

The application, approved in March 2020, increased stadium capacity by 40% from 12,700 to approximately 18,000.

Impression of the stadium being used by athletes
A key feature of the redevelopment was the new West Stand that is arranged over four floors with a sweeping new roof and a range of athlete, spectator and hospitality facilities. The primary design driver was to create an intimate amphitheatre-like ring of seats around the entire track, creating a ‘stadium’ rather than a collection of stands, providing a more cohesive and intimate atmosphere for spectators.

Modern design

A key feature of the redevelopment was the new West Stand. Arranged over four floors the stand offers a sweeping new roof and a range of athlete, spectator and hospitality facilities. The primary design driver was to create an intimate amphitheatre-like ring of seats around the entire track, creating a cohesive and intimate atmosphere for spectators to replace the current collection of stands. Improvements to the stadium's seating combined with upgrades to the track, interior, lighting and public realm work together to optimise the spectator experience. 

Following sustainable design principles

The original proposal for a new access road would have significantly damaged an avenue of existing mature trees during construction. We challenged this proposal, identifying an alternative route that protected the trees and improved connectivity with the canal to the north of the site for local residents. Our plan avoided negative impacts on biodiversity and skirted around the site’s flood zone. 

We also identified opportunities to reuse excavated materials to create a new flood bund, reducing the use of raw materials by approximately 780m3 and avoiding an extra 80 construction lorry movements during construction. Flooding is a historical issue within the adjacent Perry Park, and our hydraulic modelling demonstrated that a surface bund to capture storm water was more effective – and sustainable – than traditional solutions such as buried tanks.

The stadium will host major events of all kinds where different types of lighting will be needed. To avoid costly investment in sports lighting for larger events, we developed a flexible strategy where lighting mast heights can be adjusted using the same infrastructure. As well as providing cost savings for the client, this smart solution reduces the visual impact of the masts and the risk of light pollution in the area during non-event periods.

Impression of the stadium being used by athletes
Our design will follow Sport England’s and Public Health England’s guidelines on Active Design to address health inequalities through the provision of new outdoor facilities.

The project created a new and improved home for Birchfield Harriers Athletics Club and a new home to the Birmingham City University Sports Science Faculty. The stadium provides the ideal blend of facilities and features to become a popular and vibrant destination for athletes of all abilities from schoolchildren to elite professionals.

The project also sort to act as a catalyst for the regeneration of the local area, and its legacy should help to improve economic activity in the region as well as the quality of life, health, and wellbeing of its diverse communities.