Like many of British starchitect Thomas Heatherwick’s other projects, the proposed new stadium for the UK’s Birmingham City Football Club promises a radically bold design: Nicknamed the Birmingham City Powerhouse, the 62,000-seat stadium features a dozen chimney-like brick towers that can be seen from 40 miles away. They’re designed to evoke the city’s industrial heritage while also helping hold up a retractable roof structure.
The stadium, which won’t open until 2030, also reflects the growing influence of US-style professional football on the English sport: More than a third of the clubs in the UK’s top leagues now have some form of American ownership — including Birmingham City FC, partly owned by National Football League quarterback Tom Brady. That shift is bringing a distinct — and luxurious — NFL flavor to some of the newest English football venues, Feargus O’Sullivan reports. Today on CityLab: In Birmingham, a Stadium Plan Shows UK Football’s Flashy Side