Forest Green Rovers' eco wooden football stadium set to go ahead

WWW.BBC.CO.UK

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The "world's greenest" football team is getting a new timber stadium.

Seems to be built on decision to sell the existing stadium for 95 new homes. I actually quite like the look of the new stadium proposed. 

Bad move as far as I'm concerned.

I would have thought a wooden stadia would be a bigger fire risk than concrete stadia, but what do I know.

I thought lessons had been learned  after the Bradford City fire?

If that is how it will look, then surely the only team to play in a stadium like that would be Barnet? It looks awful. Could they make it look any more like a beehive? Even inside the concept art, it looks terrible.

Their current ground isn't good, and it's not really in a good location, but I don't see the sense in their plans for the new stadium.

I thought it would be a potential fire risk, I knew they’d have to do something clever otherwise it would never get approved and it seems they have…

Zaha Hadid Architects: ‘Why our all-wood Forest Green stadium won’t be a fire risk’

WWW.ARCHITECTSJOURNAL.CO.UK

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The world has changed a lot since we originally designed the Forest Green stadium in 2016 – not leas...

I don’t mind the look of it, it does feel the “bowl stadiums” are more akin to new 40,000+ seater stadiums so it’ll be interesting to see how it looks with just the 5,000 seats, it could look a touch strange.

I wouldn't have thought a new stadium was high on their priorities though, they aren’t exactly selling out week after week!

Just googled to research whether fire resistant wood was safe, and found the following.

I quote.

"Yes, fire retardant wood can be safe in buildings, but there are some things to consider":

"Fire safety"

"Fire retardant treatments can help slow the spread of flames and heat, which can give people more time to escape and put out the fire". 

"Fire rating"

"Fire retardant treatments can improve the fire rating of wood, allowing it to be used in a variety of buildings. However, wood's fire rating is capped at Euroclass B, so it can't be used in residential, institutional, or multi-occupancy buildings over 18 meters". 

"Environmental impact"

"Some flame retardants can be harmful to humans and animals. When choosing a fire retardant treatment, it's important to consider the treatment's environmental impact". 

I think it looks ok, very modern.

Greenwashing FC.

FGR already have a perfectly good ground that they don't fill. When you've got a choice between building something and using what you've got, the most environmentally friendly policy is to stay put, even if it's one of those terribly unfashionable concrete stadiums. But I suppose they wouldn't get any press attention that way.

Second, this is an out-of-town stadium at the side of the motorway, miles from anywhere. It will only be possible to reach it by car. So forget the rolling hills in the artist's impression - this place will be surrounded by car parks, just like any other soulless new build.

Dale Vince's FGR project I believe only happened when he failed to buy in at Cheltenham ( stand to be corrected). 

@DangerousSausage Car parks yes, but like at The New Lawn, their current stadium, buses are provided to "bus" supporters in. I think there are still plans to reopen a Stonehouse station on the Bristol main railway line too.

I agree that the new stadium is just a soul less shell. I wonder if they will be able to fill it?

Nailed it @DangerousSausage, why replace a perfectly good and hardly used stadium with something completely new, unless you’re feeding your own ego. Government subsidies are obviously paying him well.

No matter how many steak bakes you offer me, I’ll not be going to it.