I'll second what gem said. Thanks

Stamford bridge was a big part of my childhood I got a great buzz from watching it develop so I wasnt really happy about knocking it however I'm starting to get excited about these new plans.

Is it true it will be designed by the same people that did the alianz arena?

Is it true it will be designed by the same people that did the alianz arena?

 

Yes.

http://weaintgotnohistory.sbnation.com/2015/9/2/9247759/our-future-revealed-from-our-past

The only concern I have is the circular roof because it just does not fit the rest. In my opinion the top of the roof should have the same outline as the stadium itself, maybe slightly less edgy. It would be asymmetrical and probably not quite compliant with the architecture hundreds of years ago but it would, in my opinion, improve the looks of the stadium from above by a lot. Right now it goes from asymmetrical to circular to rectangular when looking from above and I can't see any homogeneity in it. Maybe they have considered this, but left it circular because it is cheaper and they thought no one would see it from down below anyway. 

 

This quote is taken from the link in my previous post ..

 

"She confirmed that the circular ‘ring’ around the roof of the stadium was indeed conceived to create a symmetry with that of the burial site in the adjacent Brompton Cemetery – something that can be seen clearly in the supplied overhead illustrations of how the new stadium would sit within its local geography. It appears this wasn’t the only aspect that influenced Herzog and de Meuron’s design: Brompton Cemetery also sits above subterranean catacombs, and was designed by Benjamin Baud to give the feel of an ‘open air cathedral’."

To those that have been to the recent consultation. was there any update given on the Wembley situation? I've read rumours in some papers that a deal has been all but agreed, but there's been no official news on this. 

thanks to Boyne, Carshalton Blue and Mr Parker's Dogbite for those really informative reports. It will be amazing, probably the most impressive stadium in England and competing with anything we've seen in recent years worldwide - Wow! 

 

Can't believe what has happened to Chelsea FC over the last 20 years, this has to be the best time to be a Chelsea supporter.

 

Now if Brana could only stop getting his ass whipped by youngsters and forget that hands behind my back thing, life would be perfect. 

This quote is taken from the link in my previous post ..

 

"She confirmed that the circular ‘ring’ around the roof of the stadium was indeed conceived to create a symmetry with that of the burial site in the adjacent Brompton Cemetery – something that can be seen clearly in the supplied overhead illustrations of how the new stadium would sit within its local geography. It appears this wasn’t the only aspect that influenced Herzog and de Meuron’s design: Brompton Cemetery also sits above subterranean catacombs, and was designed by Benjamin Baud to give the feel of an ‘open air cathedral’."

 

Cheers, I will go there today and ask them about it. Generally it is great how they want the stadium to fit in with the local culture but I am worried that opposition fans will use the direct reference to a cemetery (metaphorically, a place of eternal silence) to taunt an otherwise great stadium and what will no doubt be an even greater atmosphere. This and the fact that I am not sure if asymmetric-circle-rectangle go well together make me wonder if there might be other reasons to use a circle and if it might be changed until the final decision on the design is made, even though this is very unlikely. We'll see.

Edited September 3, 201510 yr by PythonLu

The reporting on this thread has been spectacular, thanks to everyone who has contributed

http://weaintgotnohistory.sbnation.com/2015/9/2/9247759/our-future-revealed-from-our-past

It really is incredible!

will the maximum capacity be 60k or is there any chance we can go to 65k? 

says possibly 65k in the article.

will the maximum capacity be 60k or is there any chance we can go to 65k? 

 

Possible to go to 65k in the future it says on DB's link ^

I'm kind of 50/50 on what I've seen so far:

 

I really like how they've tried to create something different, and not another bog standard, identikit bowl stadium. I think the gothic/cathedral-style architecture outside could look really cool.

 

But what I don't really like at all is the fact that the opening of the roof is circular and that there are no defined corners/edges between the stands. I worry that it will just look like another bowl from above, despite the club's best efforts. Anyone else share this view?

 

Also I really wish that there would be more normal seats and less corporates but then what else did we expect? At least there won't be the 'ring of silence' like there is at the Emirates, ie. the middle tiers of the ends will be for regular fans.

 

Ideally I'd have liked a single-tier end but it seems like this wasn't feasible.

Edited September 3, 201510 yr by Celery1989

Really wanted a single tier end, more seats for regular fans and a "vocal section". Doesnt seem like its gonna happen though. Really wish there was t so many corporate seats, bit thats the business i guess

Been there today and was quite impressed. The pictures there are even more detailed than the ones posted on the internet - probably due to quality loss of taking a photo. In any case, there is a lot to look forward to.

 

Regarding the roof: The circle indeed is supposed to allude to the cemetery. When I mentioned that a cemetery is a metaphor for infinite silence and it might backfire she looked entirely unaware of that so maybe they haven't thought of that. Moreover the actual roof is more or less flat when viewed from the inside. The spider-legs are only visible from the outside. 

 

They don't know about the statues and generally many little details are still in the works. Understandably, as the stadium is still some five years away from completion.

 

Unfortunately she couldn't give me an update on the Wembley bid. Therefore I didn't even bother asking if there is a way for us to use the entire capacity for a few selected matches, such as in the CL - as it would be weird to play, for instance, a CL semi-final in front of a half empty stadium. I hope they will have some news for us soon.

 

My general impression is that the entire project is carried out with meticulous attention to detail and they try to involve the fans and the local communities as much as they can. Roman Abramovich was at the exhibition himself today! I think he deserves a lot of gratitude for taking this forward with such great care despite the fact that it will be hard for him to break even on costs from an economic perspective. He is doing this for the club in the first place, which not many owners would do.

The reporting on this thread has been spectacular, thanks to everyone who has contributed

Indeed a big thanks to all concerned: because of your reporting and digital work I'm now very excited about the project!

What bugs me is that he always promises that these are the last news but he keeps coming back. Such a disappointment...

What bugs me is that he always promises that these are the last news but he keeps coming back. Such a disappointment...

Sharp :-)

I'm kind of 50/50 on what I've seen so far:

 

I really like how they've tried to create something different, and not another bog standard, identikit bowl stadium. I think the gothic/cathedral-style architecture outside could look really cool.

 

But what I don't really like at all is the fact that the opening of the roof is circular and that there are no defined corners/edges between the stands. I worry that it will just look like another bowl from above, despite the club's best efforts. Anyone else share this view?

 

Also I really wish that there would be more normal seats and less corporates but then what else did we expect? At least there won't be the 'ring of silence' like there is at the Emirates, ie. the middle tiers of the ends will be for regular fans.

 

Ideally I'd have liked a single-tier end but it seems like this wasn't feasible.

 

Completely agreed on the circular design. They told me the decision was made based on a local cemetery. If you look at the stadium as a whole it is generally a structure with many edges and corners, which is why a circle just does not fit in. This is why the stadium looks a lot more impressive from the side than from above. I think they could improve the overall looks a lot by removing that circle. Also we would not have to worry about other clubs' fans calling it Stamford Graveyard or something like that. 

 

But there is a trade-off here. They either go for the good looking option but have no deep link to the local architecture or keep it like this but have that link. I personally would have kept it good looking and found another way to incorporate the cemetery. I guess we can't have it all. Otherwise it looks great!

Completely agreed on the circular design. They told me the decision was made based on a local cemetery. If you look at the stadium as a whole it is generally a structure with many edges and corners, which is why a circle just does not fit in. This is why the stadium looks a lot more impressive from the side than from above. I think they could improve the overall looks a lot by removing that circle. Also we would not have to worry about other clubs' fans calling it Stamford Graveyard or something like that. 

 

But there is a trade-off here. They either go for the good looking option but have no deep link to the local architecture or keep it like this but have that link. I personally would have kept it good looking and found another way to incorporate the cemetery. I guess we can't have it all. Otherwise it looks great!

 

I just don't get this concern about the circle and it's association with Brompton Cemetery. It's just an architectural feature - it's not as if the stadium is in the shape of a gravestone or something. And who cares what other fans say? Whatever it is it will be dripping with jealousy.

 

 

Celery1989 said:

 

I really like how they've tried to create something different, and not another bog standard, identikit bowl stadium. I think the gothic/cathedral-style architecture outside could look really cool.

 

But what I don't really like at all is the fact that the opening of the roof is circular and that there are no defined corners/edges between the stands. I worry that it will just look like another bowl from above, despite the club's best efforts. Anyone else share this view?

 

But the actual opening of the roof is rectangular. The circle just (beautifully, in my view) encloses it.  And the consultants were very clear that each of the stands would have their own character. If we're going to get a 60,000 stadium the of course the corners will have to be filled in but that doesn't mean it will just be a generic bowl. Just look at the aerial shot from above. It's anything but 'just another bowl'. Anything but 'just another stadium'

 

 

 

 

 

Completely agreed on the circular design. They told me the decision was made based on a local cemetery. If you look at the stadium as a whole it is generally a structure with many edges and corners, which is why a circle just does not fit in. This is why the stadium looks a lot more impressive from the side than from above. I think they could improve the overall looks a lot by removing that circle. Also we would not have to worry about other clubs' fans calling it Stamford Graveyard or something like that. 

 

But there is a trade-off here. They either go for the good looking option but have no deep link to the local architecture or keep it like this but have that link. I personally would have kept it good looking and found another way to incorporate the cemetery. I guess we can't have it all. Otherwise it looks great!

 

of course the club badge is round so i can envisage a massive lion rampant on the pitch viewed from above replicating the club crest - that'd be cool

Completely agreed on the circular design. They told me the decision was made based on a local cemetery. If you look at the stadium as a whole it is generally a structure with many edges and corners, which is why a circle just does not fit in. This is why the stadium looks a lot more impressive from the side than from above. I think they could improve the overall looks a lot by removing that circle. Also we would not have to worry about other clubs' fans calling it Stamford Graveyard or something like that. 

 

With all due respect, you're the only person in the world worrying about this. You've mentioned it a number of times. Nobody, but nobody, would make the comparison. It's a completely random thought on your part. Even if they did, who cares? Seriously. It's irrelevant. Completely and utterly irrelevant. You don't go designing a stadium based on what opposition supporters might say. That's total madness.

 

You're completely paranoid on this particular issue if you don't mind my saying, and you needn't be. Believe me, our stadium, should it happen, will be the envy of everybody else, that's all you need to know. It's a spectacular design. Roman went out and employed the best. Not the second best but the best. We should be incredibly happy if this comes off. Delirious. You don't like the roof, that's perfectly valid and you've given your reasons, regarding the asymmetry becoming a circle becoming a rectangle. I see where you're coming from but you have to take on board the fact the stadium is asymmetrical not through choice but through necessity if we want to maximise capacity. An asymmetrical roof I imagine either wouldn't protect everybody from the elements or if it did, there would be an issue with shadows on the pitch or the pitch seeing enough sunshine and the grass growing. I don't know, I'm no architect, but we've got the best architects in the business trouble-shooting this one so I'm sure we're in good hands. 

 

There are massive constraints with this project, not just with space but with height and egress and all sorts of other issues. It's a minor miracle if this comes off, in my opinion. Sure, it's not going to meet with everybody's approval, nothing does, and some will quibble with certain aspects, that's inevitable, but could we really have hoped for something better? It's bold, it's beautiful, it's brave and it's breathtaking. It has a wow factor that every other stadium in the country lacks. I can't do anything other than admire the project. I think it will be a stage fit for our club.

 

Don't worry about oppos taking the piss, they'll be too busy pulling their jaws off the floor, I promise you.