Part of the proposed Birmingham Sports Quarter, the new Birmingham City Football Club stadium would seat 62,000
The new Birmingham City Football Club stadium, located at Bordesley Green in East Birmingham, will feature a retractable roof and moveable pitch, ensuring flexibility for a variety of events, ranging from sporting events to music concerts.
The steep bowl design pulls the stands as close and as steep to the pitch as can be allowed to create a 360-degree wall of fans. The stadium’s high-performing acoustics will amplify the sound of the crowd, creating an ‘unforgettable’ atmosphere for home supporters.
The new stadium will also create a public space open to everyone throughout the week. From food markets, restaurants and cafes to children’s play areas and places to linger, the area around the stadium will offer the local community somewhere to come together and enjoy a new part of the city.
12 chimney towers will reduce noise pollution
Built using reclaimed bricks wherever possible, the striking chimney towers will serve as part of the stadium’s passive ventilation strategy, as well as channelling sound from the bowl upwards and away from the surrounding neighbourhood.
One of the chimneys will also house a lift which transports visitors up to what will be the highest bar in Birmingham, with views over the city and ‘an immersive experience’ telling stories of the city’s past.
The winning design was developed by Heatherwick Studio, in partnership with MANICA, in collaboration with Steven Knight, the acclaimed film director, writer and lifelong Blues fan. Visuals of the project were released at an event at Digbeth Loc film studio in Birmingham, marking the club’s 150th anniversary.
Paying homage to Birmingham’s brickworks heritage
Birmingham City chairman Tom Wagner(also co-chief executive of Knighthead Capital), said: “The stadium draws upon the proud heritage of the West Midlands – a heritage of industry, ingenuity and growth. I believe those same qualities can create a new era of success on and off the field and prosperity for local communities that have been starved of opportunities for too long.”
Thomas Heatherwick, founder and design director of Heatherwick Studio, added: “Too often, stadiums feel like spaceships that could have landed anywhere, sterilising the surrounding area.
“Ours grows from Birmingham itself — from its brickworks, its history of a thousand trades, and the craft at the core of its culture. Our goal is to capture the spirit of the city and play it back to Birmingham.”
The new stadium will anchor the Birmingham Sports Quarter in East Birmingham, which will also include high-performance training facilities and mixed-use developments. The project is expected to contribute £760m annually to Birmingham’s economy by 2035.
The ambition is for the new stadium to be completed in time for the start of the 2030/2031 football season. A public engagement programme responding to the needs and aspirations of the fans and the wider community will begin in 2026.
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