Brighton and Hove City Council has approved draft plans to build a new fan zone at the American Express Stadium in Brighton. The modern facility is scheduled to open for the 2024/25 season.
At the beginning of March 2024, Permier League club Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. presented designs for the construction of a new fan zone in the immediate vicinity of the American Express Stadium. The two-storey facility is primarily intended to improve the matchday experience for fans and be available for a variety of events, sports broadcasts and concerts on non-match days. Now that the city council has approved the project, the English club has published further details about the new location.
After its opening, the new fan zone will also be used outside of match days.
Paul Hazelwood / BHAFC
The draft plans envisage the new fan zone offering space for up to 1,000 people and having the character of a semi-enclosed event venue. The design of the two-storey building was inspired by traditional market halls and modern marketplaces in the UK and its geometry is intended to blend into the topography of the landscape at the transition between the southern and eastern outer halls of the stadium. In the entrance area on the ground floor, visitors will pass through movable walls into a social area where several catering outlets will be located. The planning concept also envisages a bar and seating areas on the first floor to create a further place to spend time. The building floor plan is bordered by a railway line running to the south and the stadium`s outdoor hall in the western area. The design of the floor area is also intended to optimise the flow of visitors.
A bar and seating on the first floor will invite people to linger.
Paul Hazelwood / BHAFC
The roof was designed so that it protrudes beyond the boundaries of the building and thus provides passive solar shading. This means that visitors can also linger on the seating steps - embedded in a natural slope - without being affected by the weather.
Jon-Scott Kohli, Architect Director at BDP Pattern, explains the design as follows: “This Fan Zone at the American Express Stadium will be a best-in class experience for fans to meet, gather and enjoy a variety of activities. It creates a much-needed, all weather space that can be used throughout the year. We have used all our experience working with Premier League clubs and designing similar multiuse venues, to create something that can be used widely by Albion fans and become a hub for supporters and the local community alike. We know that this building can accommodate away-match screenings, act as a fan zone for Euro 2024, host student events, live music shows and create opportunities for events that bring the people of Brighton together.“
The roof has been designed to provide protection from the sun and rain.
Paul Hazelwood / BHAFC
Paul Barber, Managing Director and Deputy Chairman of Brighton & Hove Albion, is already convinced of the potential of the new Fanzone: “The new Fan Zone will provide an excellent pre-and-post-match experience, in an even bigger pre-turnstile bar, with a modern and innovative fit out and a wide variety of food and drink offerings, using the best local Sussex suppliers wherever possible.“
In addition to the direct benefits of the new facility for fans, it is also expected to add value to the local economy when it opens in the 2024/25 season. It is planned that more than 50 full and part-time jobs will be created in the new fan zone. (Stadiaworld, 19.04.2024)
