Timber iQ February - March 2018 // Issue: 36 | Page 30

PROJECTS
The project signifies everything that is possible with timber construction.
sporting institution into the 21st century, while retaining
the heritage look and feel. The improved sightlines and
upgraded hospitality features, combined with behind-the-
scenes improvements to match-day facilities, have enhanced
this famous establishment, ensuring the viewer experience
now matches its reputation for world-class cricket.”
HISTORY AND REJUVENATION
The new development replaces a 1950s structure with a
new four-storey stand that has been designed to
significantly improve the view for spectators, while also
exceeding best practice standards for accessibility so that it
is fully inclusive. It has 2 656 seats with improved
sightlines, a new match control suite and better facilities
including four bars and a restaurant on the top level. The
new building sits between the historic Grade II* listed
Pavilion, designed by architect Thomas Verity and built in
1890, and the Grand Stand, designed by Nicholas Grimshaw
and built in 1996.
Spaces within the building include a state-of-the-art
match control suite for officials and the emergency
services, bars and other facilities for spectators, and a
135-cover restaurant with magnificent views over the
ground. The new restaurant also occupies a significantly
larger space than the old, as do safety, security and match
control rooms in the building. And, as it addresses the
popular Lord’s garden, the architects paid as much
attention to the rear façade design, incorporating green
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walls. In addition, sustainability has also been at the
forefront of the design thinking. Solar thermal and
photovoltaic roof panels have been incorporated into the
roof to generate hot water and electricity respectively.
The new structure is more than an aesthetic success and
crowd pleaser. It’s also a technical ground-breaker in terms
of the material used for the 11 cantilever beams, up to 23m
long, carrying the canopy. These are glue-laminated
American white oak and it’s the first time the species has
been employed in this format on this scale and in such a
performance critical environment – forming the primary
structure of a roof projecting out over 2 674 spectators.
Such a prestige showcase for its design and technical
performance is also expected to spur white oak glulam’s
wider use in construction – perhaps even more ambitiously.
“It’s been a long, sometimes difficult journey to get US
hardwood to this point, starting with AHEC’s involvement in
sourcing white oak for the much smaller glulam beams in
Westminster’s Portcullis House in 2000. Since then we’ve
organised various showcase projects demonstrating
different species’ engineered product and structural
potential. Now we have this fabulous large-scale
commercial application of white oak glulam made by one of
the leading engineered timber producers. It should really
open architects’ eyes to the fact they have this alternative
option for their structural materials portfolio at a time
when they’re looking to build more with wood worldwide,”
concludes Venables.