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Wembley & Tottenham Hotspur: Retractable Seating

In today’s competitive sports, leisure and entertainment world, every square foot of usable venue space is valuable. ARX helps architects to create venues that respond to new market opportunities – from adding a few rows of extra capacity, to creating thousands more concert tickets, to transforming an entire Premier League football pitch into an NFL field.

The Challenge

In response to the need for entertainment venues to increase occupancy rates and compete against alternative destinations, architects have invented increasingly innovative multi-use stadia.

Such multi-use spaces often require portions of a traditionally fixed building to move, or to facilitate a transformation from one venue layout to another. Moving structures on this scale – safely and under control – requires very specialist expertise.

ARX Wembley Stadium Retractable Stadium Seating
Around 800 seats attached to hydraulic ramps pivot up to create valuable concert space

The Solution

ARX has engineered and built some of the world’s iconic kinetic architecture. In 2019, it had two significant debuts in the kinetic architecture world: the dividing retractable pitch at Tottenham Hotspur’s new ground, and the No.1 Court concertina roof at Wimbledon.

However, it’s not just roofs and pitches that we can make move. We also help the architect create practical and valuable new spaces through retractable seating and terraces, as we have done for Wembley Stadium, Tottenham Hotspur, and Kai Tak Sports Park.

Technical Details

Solving vehicular access
  • The new Tottenham Hotspur stadium was designed from the outset to be multi-use, far beyond football
  • NFL, rugby, boxing, music concerts, exhibitions and more will take place within this ground breaking stadium in London
  • Our pivoting seating terrace ensures that large HGV trucks can access the pitch to deliver equipment
The power to pivot
  • Hidden under the steel frame is the mechanism that controls the entire pivoting terrace
  • Eighteen powerful 8-metre cylinders raise and lower the seating, fed by hydraulic power packs
  • In total nearly 800 seats swing upwards to reveal the flat, practical concrete base beneath
Fit-for-purpose engineering
  • Our engineers cover the full spectrum from mechanical and electrical design, through assembly and testing, to installation and final commissioning
  • ‘Keeping it simple’ is a challenging yet rewarding endeavour: by reducing complexity, we can increase reliability and minimise maintenance
  • Two hydraulic rams lift the pre-cast concrete block, which carries 80 Spurs seats
Safety always in mind
  • Massive moving structures always require an unwavering focus on safety
  • An expert blend of mechanical engineering and electrical control ensures safety as well as ease of use
  • In addition to the engineering, ARX also provided assembly, test and installation services
Iconic engineering that doesn’t skip the detail
  • We engineered and installed the world-first dividing retractable football pitch at Spurs’ new stadium
  • We also delivered the pitch surround that rises and falls to create Premier League or NFL configurations
  • And we designed the tunnel ramps that move with the pitch, including the one with pivoting seating
Even the smallest spaces matter
  • Court 2 at Wimbledon has an entry tunnel along one side of the stadium
  • A retractable terrace spanning the opening was conceived, for additional spectator capacity
  • ARX was invited to assess the concept and to provide the hydaulic pivoting solution
Creating concert capacity
  • The retractable seating at Wembley pivots along a giant rear hinge, creating valuable additional space for the stage set
  • More space means more tickets for sale, highly lucrative when hosting big name concerts
  • The stadium can accommodate 25,000 standing concert-goers when the seating is retracted
Bespoke stadia solutions
  • We have engineered stadia solutions from small pivoting terraces to a 10,000-tonne retractable football pitch
  • Wach solution is designed to increase the utilisation of valuable venue space
  • ARX can deliver everything from initial concept, to full engineering drawings, to manufacture, to installation and final commissioning
The retractable seating at Tottenham Hotspur
  • General arrangement of the access tunnel and pivoting seating terrace at Tottenham Hotspur. The solution adds over 1.7 metres of headroom to the north-east access tunnel, allowing large vehicles into the inner bowl.

Explore more kinetic projects from ARX

Tottenham Hotspur FC Dividing Football Pitch

View project

All England Lawn Tennis Club: Retractable Roofs at Wimbledon

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Lord’s Cricket Ground Sight Screen System

View project