Highbury Square Stadium

1 / Introduction

After 93 years at Highbury, the ‘Gunners’, one of the most valuable football clubs in the world, moved from their beloved home to a new state of the art, iconic stadium – Emirates Stadium. Almost immediately after the departure, work began on transforming the site into a large residential development – the first of its kind in Europe.

Planning conditions meant that the appearance of the new scheme should as far as possible resemble the form and layout of the original football ground and features from the original spectator stands should be retained and integrated into the scheme.  The six storey Art Deco steel framed masonry facades in the South stand, listed by English heritage, needed to be reproduced in the West stand, albeit slightly less ornately.  The famous marble entrance presented some challenges, as the walls had a thin precast concrete slab lining and the floor was badly cracked.  In the new scheme, the hall - which was already 12 metres high - would have four floors of apartments above it.  The question was how could we design this so that the delicate hall could stay without having to reduce the number of apartments?

Luxury apartments require luxury facilities in a luxury setting, so parking, gardens, swimming pool and gym all had to be found a home.

Preservation of the original features - the beautiful art deco facades, stunning sun-burst gable windows and the marble entrance hall - was our primary concern.  Using in situ concrete flat slab framed construction on the six storeys allowed the existing structure to be supported. Innovative restraint fixings designed specifically for the job gave the building the necessary control and stability.  Working with English Heritage in the marble hall, we proposed a new column to support the scheme’s vision.   Because of  the incredibly tight programme, Buro Happold introduced slip form construction into the frame design; an onsite plant was used to produce the concrete and roll mat reinforcements were used on the flat slab.  All this meant an overall increase in the reinforcements used, but massive savings in time, keeping our clients on programme and on budget.

Topped out by Arsene Wenger, this £170 million project retains all the drama and theatre of a sporting venue along with a real sense of community and belonging. Combining the landscaped gardens on the site of the historic pitch with six smaller more intimate courtyard gardens, reflecting London’s long tradition of garden squares, all creates a wonderful haven for residents who can revel in the history and enjoy a new style of urban living. This development shows how a sustainable, innovative and inspiring place to live can be achieved.

Key facts

  • 2 acres of landscaped gardens now exist on the historic site 
  • 724 luxury apartments created 
  • Eco homes rating of “Very Good” Sensitive restoration of Grade II listed stands
  • Sensitive restoration of Grade II listed stands
  • Tight 12 month construction programme for the £30 million frame sub contract

Related Disciplines

The Project Details

  • Client:
    Highbury Holdings Ltd
  • Architects:
    Allies and Morrison, Denning Male and Polisano
  • Buro Happold services:
    Civil and Structural Engineering