UK's "first all-electric football stadium" set to be built for Oxford United

Architecture studio AFL Architects and consultancy Ridge and Partners have revealed plans for a 16,000-seat stadium powered entirely by renewable energy, which will be the new home for Oxford United Football Club.

With planning approval granted by Cherwell District Council, Ridge and Partners claimed the football stadium is set to be "the most sustainable mid-sized sports venue in the UK".

Ridge and Partners carried out the planning, sustainability and transport strategy, and worked with AFL Architects to design the stadium, which aims to provide amenities to the local community and give an economic boost to Oxford United Football Club.

Situated north of the city centre near Oxford Parkway train station, outside of areas with heritage constraints, it will be powered by renewable energy from photovoltaic panels and an air-source heat pump.

"As the first all-electric stadium in the UK, it will operate entirely on renewable energy, integrating 3,500 square metres of roof-mounted photovoltaic panels to help reduce the impact on the national grid during matchdays," said Ridge and Partners.

"An air-source heat pump and energy-efficient building fabric will remove the need for carbon-based fuels and provide an 80 per cent reduction in CO2 emissions per year compared with gas boilers."

The Oxford United stadium will replace the football club's current Kassam Stadium, located towards the south of the city.

Renders reveal a stadium with a gently sloping roof and curved corners partially clad in blue panels. Green roofs top a single-storey glazed volume, and green walls provide additional planted areas.

Aiming to facilitate events on non-match days, the stadium's wider masterplan will include a 1,000-capacity events space, hotel, restaurant, health and wellbeing centre and public outdoor space.

Spaces dedicated to the football club's charity, Oxford United in the Community, will also be located in the stadium.

Intending to improve local biodiversity, outdoor areas designed by landscape architecture studio Fabrik will include trees, beehives, ponds and wildflower meadows.

"This project is more than a stadium – it is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to secure the future of Oxford's only professional club and deliver lasting social benefits for Oxford's communities at the same time," said Ridge and Partners planning partner Giles Brockbank.

Other football stadium designs recently featured on Dezeen include Foster and Partners' plan for a 100,000-seat stadium for Manchester United, which is set to become the UK's largest stadium, and Populous's design to update Benfica stadium in Portugal with an LED facade.

The images are courtesy of Ridge and Partners.

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