{"id":107107,"date":"2025-09-01T14:58:16","date_gmt":"2025-09-01T14:58:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/107107\/"},"modified":"2025-09-01T14:58:16","modified_gmt":"2025-09-01T14:58:16","slug":"bdp-patterns-everton-fc-stadium-opens-at-bramley-moore-dock","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/107107\/","title":{"rendered":"BDP Pattern\u2019s Everton FC stadium opens at Bramley-Moore Dock"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sitting aside the River Mersey, the stadium was designed by New York-based MEIS architects and delivered by BDP\u2019s sports division BDP Pattern. Originally anticipated to cost \u00a3505 million, it aims to revitalise Liverpool\u2019s northern docks and includes new public spaces.<\/p>\n

The design has drawn inspiration from the area\u2019s historic brick warehouses. Its brick base pays homage to Scottish architect Archibald Leitch\u2019s latticework at the club\u2019s former Goodison Park home to celebrate Everton\u2019s history, while its \u2018futuristic\u2019 steel-and-glass upper level provides a modern flourish by contrast. Its height was restricted to reflect Liverpool City Council\u2019s World Heritage Site guidance in 2020.<\/p>\n

A key feature is the south stand, designed to be a \u2018blue wall\u2019 to accommodate more than 14,000 home fans on match days, with supporters as close to the action as regulations allow. Other facilities include 279 wheelchair spaces, sensory rooms, faith spaces and gender-neutral toilets, making it one of the most accessible stadiums in the UK.<\/p>\n

The transformation of the Grade II-listed Bramley-Moore Dock created a significant engineering challenge. Much of the site was submerged. Everton\u2019s chosen contractor, Laing O\u2019Rourke, led a complex construction process that saw 480,000m\u00b3 of sand added to the dock to provide stable ground for the structure.<\/p>\n

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Some 95 per cent of site materials have been reused and extensive rooftop PVs added to the scheme\u2019s roofs, as well as energy-efficient building systems to reduce the stadium\u2019s environmental impact.<\/p>\n

In addition, offsite manufacturing and digital design were both deployed in the development, ensuring a precise build.<\/p>\n

Key heritage features have also been preserved, including the 19th century Grade II-listed Hydraulic Tower and Engine House using salvaged bricks \u2013 alongside original cobblestones, railway lines and mooring posts.<\/p>\n

American sports specialist MEIS architects served as design architect on the scheme from 2016, taking the project from feasibility to design development before Dan Meis of the practice was kept on as design guardian for Everton Football Club from 2020. BDP Pattern joined the project at stage 3 to assist on the detailed application, which was put to the council in December 2019.<\/p>\n

In July 2020, Meis admitted to the AJ he was extremely disappointed<\/a> at being dropped from the delivery of the stadium after Laing O\u2019Rourke, had appointed London practice Pattern Design as technical architect for the arena.<\/p>\n

Meis learnt in June that year that his firm \u2013 which drew up the initial designs and had been involved in the job since 2016<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 would not be appointed for any future role on the project.<\/p>\n

MEIS architects had been\u00a0appointed to the Everton stadium project in 2016<\/a>. Sheppard Robson\u00a0was brought on board a year later<\/a>\u00a0before effectively being replaced by Pattern Design at the end of 2018. MEIS architects\u2019 initial images o<\/a>f its designs for the stadium\u00a0were revealed in 2019<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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It is understood that the New York firm had teamed up with Manchester-based stadium specialist AFL Architects to bolster its specialist and local knowledge with a view to remaining an integral part of the project through the delivery stage.<\/p>\n

In 2020, Everton FC made a series of design changes to its stadium. The scheme was rejigged to address concerns raised in response to the planning application, which was submitted\u00a0in late 2019<\/a>. The main changes to the designs were to the West Stand, facing the River Mersey, including a new stepped plaza.<\/p>\n

In 2021, former communities secretary Robert Jenrick waved through Pattern Design\u2019s proposed stadium<\/a> for the football club, ignoring demands to call in the scheme. Liverpool City Council had already unanimously approved the scheme, despite warnings it would harm the city\u2019s World Heritage Site and objections from Historic England and The Victorian Society.<\/p>\n

Everton revealed\u00a0at the start of 2018<\/a>\u00a0that the cost of the stadium had \u2018escalated significantly\u2019.<\/p>\n

Everton had also struggled with previous schemes to build a new stadium. In 2003, the club was forced to abandon a scheme for a new stadium at King\u2019s Dock, Liverpool, designed by HOK, because it could not find the additional \u00a330 million in funding.<\/p>\n

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Plans for another 50,000-seater stadium in Kirkby, six miles to the north-east, were rejected by the government in 2009. It was after this, that two locations \u2013 Stonebridge Cross and Bramley-Moore dock \u2013 were mooted by the club for the scheme.<\/p>\n

Bramley-Moore dock closed in 1988 following the decline of south Lancashire\u2019s coal industry and had since been used as a site for the Sound City music festival.<\/p>\n

The new stadium is projected to contribute \u00a31 billion to the local community and create 15,000 jobs. It also features the largest LED screens in the Premier League, each measuring 9 x 32m.<\/p>\n

The design of the stadium involved public consultations attended by more than 60,000 people.<\/p>\n

Stadium specialist Pattern Design was acquired by BDP in 2021<\/a>, becoming the practice\u2019s dedicated sports arm under the banner BDP Pattern. Dan Meis joined AECOM as leader of its global sports design group in 2024.<\/p>\n

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Architect\u2019s view<\/p>\n

The design for Hill Dickinson stadium has made Bramley-Moore Dock a very special place and somewhere that Evertonians are very proud to call home. It\u2019s a proper football ground, to begin with, and every detail has been considered to make somewhere that is authentically about the game and its fans. And it\u2019s also very civic, with modern and grand public spaces that enrich the surrounding neighbourhood, sparking a real urban renewal of a previously deprived area.<\/p>\n

Indeed, the way the building sits in the dockland with its contemporary brick and aluminium cladding is in itself a metaphor for how the project is transforming North Liverpool \u2013 firmly rooted in the city\u2019s historic fabric, but looking ahead to a bright and promising future. That such a project can be delivered on time and on budget is a testament to the real power of a truly collaborative team. It\u2019s been a genuine privilege to have played a role in this project, and I\u2019m looking forward to seeing football fans enjoy the stadium for years to come.<\/p>\n

Jon-Scott Kohli, director, BDP Pattern<\/p>\n

\u00a0\"\"<\/p>\n

Client\u2019s view<\/p>\n

Everton Stadium is a new sporting and architectural landmark for the Liverpool City Region, the UK and Europe. BDP Pattern\u2019s design team approached the project with deep respect for its context \u2013 and working alongside the design, development and construction partners ensured we were able integrate the site\u2019s industrial heritage into a modern football venue that will cater for 52,888 supporters.<\/p>\n

BDP Pattern\u2019s understanding of football culture, architectural legacy, and urban regeneration allowed them to help our contractor build a stadium that feels authentic to Everton\u2019s identity while delivering a world-class matchday and commercial experience.<\/p>\n

From the outset, BDP Pattern worked as true collaborators \u2013 engaging with stakeholders across the club, our fans, and local authorities. Their technical capabilities were matched by a genuine passion for football, which made a significant difference in shaping a stadium that honours the past while embracing the future.<\/p>\n

Colin Chong, former chief executive, Everton Football Club<\/p>\n

\u00a0\"\"<\/p>\n

Project data<\/p>\n

Location Liverpool
Start on site July 2021
Completion\u00a0August 2025
Gross internal floor area 65,000m\u00b2
Form of contract\u00a0Two-stage design and build
Design architect MEIS Architects
Delivery architect BDP Pattern (sports division of BDP)
Client Everton Football Club
Structural engineer Buro Happold Engineering
M&E consultant Buro Happold Engineering
QS RLB
Planning consultant CBRE
Landscape consultant Planit-IE
Acoustic consultant Buro Happold Engineering
Project manager G&T
Principal designer BDP Pattern
Main contractor Laing O\u2019Rourke
CAD software used Revit, Rhino, Grasshopper<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Sitting aside the River Mersey, the stadium was designed by New York-based MEIS architects and delivered by BDP\u2019s…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":107108,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[6225,6485,6486,1120,96,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-107107","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-arts-and-design","tag-arts","tag-arts-and-design","tag-artsanddesign","tag-design","tag-entertainment","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/107107","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=107107"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/107107\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/107108"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=107107"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=107107"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=107107"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}