Lansdowne Road is the world’s oldest international rugby ground, having hosted Ireland matches since 1878. Buro Happold has been appointed as the structural and civil engineer on a major project to develop a spectacular new 50,000 seat national stadium on the historic site.

The futuristic design consists of four tiers of seating around three sides of the pitch, sweeping down to one level at the north end to minimise the impact on local residents. The aim is to provide high quality viewing facilities for all spectators while maintaining a sense of connectivity with the city. A network of pedestrian routes and underpasses will make it easier and safer for fans to enter and leave the stadium.

All the seating will be protected by a continuous curvilinear roof, which will be open above the pitch to provide maximum sunlight to the high performance turf while retaining the unique Lansdowne Road atmosphere.

Sensitivity to the site has been a key design driver for the architectural and engineering team, with the form, orientation and materials all determined by the local environment. Both the roof and facade will make wide use of translucent materials to reflect the light and the changing colours of the sky. 

Date: 2005 - current