Forest Green Stadium to be built of wood

Forest Green Rovers are set to build a stadium constructed "entirely out of wood" which they claim will be the world’s first stadium constructed from wood.

The design was selected after a seven-month international competition was run to design the new stadium. The competition saw over 50 entries from around the world.

The winning design was created by London-based practice Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA). Their other work includes the London Aquatics Centre, Guangzhou Opera House and the Glasgow Riverside Museum of Transport.

The chairman of Forest Green Rovers, Dale Vince said: “We’re thrilled with the concept and the amount of thought Zaha Hadid put into their design – their experience of stadia design and their ability to put environmental issues at the heart of what they do really stood out.

“The really standout thing about this stadium is that it’s going to be almost entirely made of wood – the first time that will have been done anywhere in the world.

Forest Green have selected the design partly due to the low carbon impact of building with wood,­ with the stadium will be the centrepiece of a £100m ‘Eco Park’ development in Glouces­ter­shire.

Jim Heverin, director at ZHA, added: “We are very proud to be selected to build the new home for Forest Green Rovers – it will not only be a new stadium, but also an important addition for the community.

JC