The spectacular 60,000 seat Emirates Stadium became Arsenal Football Club's new home in summer 2006 after 93 years at Highbury.

The overall form and structure of Emirates Stadium was dictated by a range of sometimes contradictory technical and regulatory considerations. As a top level sports stadium, the primary aim was to provide safe, high quality viewing facilities and an awe inspiring atmosphere within the spectator arena. From a performer's point of view, the quality of the playing surface is all-important; while as a commercial venue, the stadium form needed to be iconic and reinforce the Arsenal brand. Last but not least was the need to minimise environmental impact and reflect the aspirations of the local community.

The groundbreaking design solution succeeds in achieving all these objectives. The stadium is a huge elliptical structure featuring five main levels of accommodation and four seating tiers, yet it is contained within a compact site footprint and respects the height restriction imposed by local planners. The clear span roof slopes downwards towards the pitch to create a naturally dished form which will enhance the pitch-microclimate and ensure the stadium is instantly recognisable. Structural dynamic and vibration testing was carried out on all seating tiers to ensure spectator safety and comfort.

Built on a brownfield site adjacent to the existing Highbury Stadium, the new stadium has resulted in the regeneration of contaminated industrial land previously used for waste disposal. Buro Happold carried out a full environmental impact assessment of the site and supervised the subsequent remediation works. Another of the infrastructure challenges was to ensure easy access to tube and rail lines. Working within the constraints of existing utilities and transport infrastructure, our engineers designed two new bridges which connect the stadium to the underground system and provide a rapid evacuation route for spectators.

The stadium was completed with zero overspend, just over two weeks ahead of schedule, in time for the start of the 2006/07 football season.