The Making of... Wembley Stadium

The Making of… is an opportunity to reflect on Foster + Partners’ completed projects and the process of making them.

This month marks the 100-year anniversary of the original Wembley Stadium, which first opened in April 1923. The stadium has hosted some of the most memorable moments of the last century, from the 1948 Summer Olympics to the UEFA Women’s EUROs in 2022.

In 1996, World Stadium Team (Foster + Partners and Populous) was appointed to reinvent the stadium for a new century and build on its extraordinary heritage. Angus Campbell, Senior Partner and project architect, describes the design and construction process from his perspective.

Seventy-three years after the original Wembley Stadium opened to the public, Foster + Partners was appointed by Brent Council to evaluate the building. The council wanted to know how it could be brought up to modern day standards, to maximise spectator enjoyment. A few years later, after providing our initial feedback, we were appointed to redesign the stadium.

As an avid football fan, working on your national stadium is a once in a lifetime opportunity and I was delighted to be involved. For the eight years we worked on the project, I relocated to a site office within walking distance of the stadium.

The challenge was to build on Wembley’s incredible heritage, while creating something new for future generations of spectators, players and performers. The old stadium had a number of unique qualities, which we wanted to retain and enhance. It was known for its ‘hallowed turf,’ with one of the greenest pitches in the world. This was partially due to the original stadium’s east-west orientation - and the size of the roof opening - which allowed sunlight to fall directly onto the pitch.

According to FIFA’s recommendations, pitches in the northern hemisphere should be orientated north-south so that the shadow falls on the halfway line, equalising the impact of sunlight on both teams. However, we felt it was important to retain the pitch’s east-west orientation and minimise the amount of shadow cast on the south side of the stadium. This led us to create the world’s longest single spanning arched structure, which supports the north side of the stadium. The south, east and west sides of the roof are made from a series of retractable panels, which can protect spectators from the rain and open up to maximise the amount of sunlight on the pitch.

Of course, there were also things that we wanted to improve on. For example, the removal of the old stadium’s athletics track and the shallow seating bowl distanced spectators from the game. The geometry of the new stadium’s seating bowl provides unobstructed views and brings people closer to the action on the pitch. This allowed us to recreate the distinctive ‘Wembley roar,’ for which the old stadium was famous.

We also developed a masterplan, to enhance the local area and make the stadium more accessible to the public. We reconfigured the adjacent Wembley Arena - by flipping its entrance and loading bay - so both the arena and stadium share a processional route from Wembley Park tube station. This creates an atmosphere of anticipation, as thousands of people exit the station and approach the two venues. Since the stadium reopened in 2007 - in line with our vision for Wembley - more buildings have been added and the area has become a very successful mixed-use development.

Given the significance of Wembley as a national stadium, we felt that the building should interact with the city while hosting an event. The 133-metre-tall arch - that supports the northern half of the stadium - is visible on TV cameras from within the stadium and can also be seen across London.

The team worked closely with Claude Engle, the internationally renowned lighting designer, to develop the lighting concept for the stadium. By building a physical model and testing different options, we found that the best way to light the arch was from within the structure itself.

The arch is made up of 8-metre diameter rings that are connected at the centre. By mounting 6 (400w) lights on each ring, the adjoining ring could be illuminated without the observer seeing the light source. When it came to the construction process, the arch was welded together on the site and then rotated up into position. 

As we celebrate Wembley Stadium’s centenary, I like to think our design celebrates the best qualities of the original stadium and continues its legacy as ‘the cathedral of football.’