Bromley FC

Designing a viable sporting event facility to meet sustainability & safety standards

Walsh was commissioned to undertake the full design of a new spectator stand for Bromley FC including the fit-out works for the community facilities and restaurant. All aspects had to meet stringent design guidelines for both line of sight and safety standards.

Bromley FC play in National League 1 and therefore the stand had to comply with Grade 1 of the FA Ground Grading Standards. There was also a club requirement that the stand complied with Football League standards to enable promotion in future years. Walsh assisted with the grading and undertook a “Green Guide” review and audit of barriers and escape routes, to see that crowd control measures around the ground met the necessary standard. This assisted the club in achieving the required safety certificates before the stand was opened prior to a pre-season friendly against Premier League side Crystal Palace in August 2019 in front of a capacity crowd.

During the design stage we reduced the tonnage of structural steel by 20%, saving 60 tonnes of steel by adopting lean design principles without any impact on the architectural intent. This reduction not only provided sustainable benefits it made the project viable.

The space behind the stand had to be flexible. During the design phase there were numerous proposals for the space including a healthcare centre and a children’s gym and play centre before the current community facilities were adopted. These changes were all possible with minimal structural changes because of the flexible design.

One of the key challenges was the very poor ground conditions, including contamination, soft ground and groundwater from a small watercourse which had to be diverted away from the stand. Walsh provided a holistic groundworks solution which included geotechnical input and as a part of the engineering design and SUDS strategy, we managed approval from the Lead Local Flood Authority (LLFA) for the food alleviation works.