Heatherwick Studio unveils stadium surrounded by 12 chimneys for Birmingham City

Architecture practices Heatherwick Studio and Manica Architecture have revealed the design for a 62,000-seat stadium surrounded by brick chimneys for Birmingham City Football Club in Birmingham, UK.

Set to be the centrepiece of the Sports Quarter in the east Birmingham, the stadium is the first stadium designed by Heatherwick Studio. It was created in collaboration in US studio Manica Architecture and director Steven Knight.

Named the Powerhouse, the stadium will be home to Championship team Birmingham City Football Club.

It will have a unique design with 12 brick chimneys, which were directly informed by the city's former brickworks, surrounding the structure set to support the stadium's roof.

"Too often, stadiums feel like spaceships that could have landed anywhere, sterilising the surrounding area," said Heatherwick Studio founder Thomas Heatherwick.

"This stadium grows from Birmingham itself – from its brickworks, its thousand trades, and the craft at its core," he continued.

"It's also a wholehearted place for the community. The stadium will truly come alive where it meets the ground; a place for play, gathering, and everyday life. The goal is to capture the spirit of the city and give it back to Birmingham."

The stadium will have a capacity of 62,000, making it the second largest stadium in the country after Manchester United's Old Trafford stadium, which is set to be redesigned by UK studio Foster + Partners.

Few details have been revealed about the stadium's design, although renders show a traditional seating bowl topped by a steel roof that if hung from the brick chimneys.

Along with supporting the roof, the chimneys will contain lifts and staircases, while one will house a bar that will become the highest in the city.

Designed to be used as both a sports and music venue, the stadium will have a retractable roof and movable pitch.

The project would be the first stadium for Heatherwick Studio. Previously the studio designed a proposal for the 2012 Olympic Velodrome and was commissioned to design a stand for Fulham Football Club in 2016, but was later replaced by Populous.

The studio is currently working on numerous projects in both the UK and abroad, including a "ribbon-like" waterfront park in Kentucky. It recently completed a Longchamp store in New York and a tree-like park in China.

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