Redeveloped Eden Park Hosts First Game

The redevelopment of Auckland's Eden Park, the biggest transformation in the venue's 100 year history, has been completed.

The new ground, the main stadium for the 2011 Rugby World Cup, held its first major games since the redevelopment, on 6th November, with more than 44,000 fans attending the two games of the Four Nations Rugby League tournament.

Eden Park is the home of Auckland rugby and cricket and the design draws upon its revered place in the country's sporting history, so that it has retained its historical and cultural significance as the country's premier stadium, but it is now distinctly 21st century and unmistakably Kiwi in appearance.

The global sports architecture specialist, Populous, was the lead consultant for the $240 million redevelopment, in association with local architects Jasmax, working for the Client, The Eden Park Trust.

The stadium capacity will be increased to 60,000 for the Rugby World Cup tournament when half a million visitors are expected through the gates, and afterwards, the stadium will be reconfigured to 50,000 in legacy mode.

There are now four main gates, one at each corner of the park, each flanked by an intricately carved statue representing a God from Maori Legend. The statues, known in Maori as tekotekoo (three dimensional carvings), are destined to become new icons for the park and for sport in New Zealand.

The stadium is set within a sensitive historical residential neighbourhood. Populous Senior Principal Richard Breslin said that it is this residential context, lack of public transport access and the varying state of repair of the stands that created a complex array of issues which needed to be addressed in the design.

As Breslin explains "the stadium has a new three tier 21,500 seat South Stand, a two-tier East stand and an extended northern ASB Stand, all linked by a new concourse. The redeveloped stadium embodies the principles of sustainable sports architecture through the careful retention and integration of existing facilities into the new development; the re-orientation of the cricket block; and the development of a public transport hub to the western end of the ground. The new master plan directs people away from the sensitive residential neighbourhood and encloses the stadium to reduce noise and light pollution to the surrounding properties."

Maori Gods form the towering statues 
Eden Park Trust Chief Executive David Kennedy said the new stadium was deliberately given a distinctively New Zealand look, adding “the mix of materials, plantings and sculptures are a dramatic statement of New Zealand’s unique social and environmental heritage.” 

The four main gates replace the 29 gates of the past. The 3 metre high statues stand guard on 33 metre high plinths, symbolizing that guardianship and the place Maori have in New Zealand, and literally tower over all those who enter the Park. The statues were unveiled in a dawn blessing by local Maori tribe, Ngati Wha tua, marking the beginning of a day of celebrations on 10th October when Eden Park was re-opened to the public. 

The New Zealand theme is continued in 25 metre high ferns sculptured into thee steel framework for the new south stand, and the extensive planting off pohutukawa, or New Zealand Christmas trees, around the perimeter of the ground. 

Populous project architect, Associate Principal, Daryl Maguire, says the south stand is wrapped in a translucent ethylene tetrafluoroethylene (ETTFE) skin incorporating the symbolic silver fern-shaped trusses, the legendary emblem of the All Blacks, a fitting symbol of New Zealand’s home of rugby and the final of the Rugby World Cup. The silver fern is also a distinctly recognisable brand for New Zealand. 

As Maguire explains “ETTFE is a low energy, environmentally sensitive material, a transparent skin that is used in n the façade too enclose the concourses of the stadium providing protection. Sustainability is at the heart of all our stadiums, and the existing facility at Eden Park has been re-used as much as possible. It is also designed for flexibility and can cater for a range of sport and entertainment, functions and events. There has also been a deliberate attempt to reduce thee impact on the neighbouring community with lights re located into the roofline to reduce light spill, acoustic barriers to reduce noise and a landscaped green buffer zone. 

“The stadium skin is designed in such a way to enclose the concourse and integral activities of the stadium, while removing the fences to the park’s perimeter. 

“This approach has allowed the park precinct to open up to the public, while still keeping the stadium secure along the building’s edge. Eden Park has a distinct geological foundation. The new south stand sits on a black basalt ground plane representing the lava that flowed across the site thousands of years ago from the nearby extinct volcano- Maungawhau. The actual stands float above this ground plane contained within a cloud like veil created by the translucent ETTFE skin.”

There are 550 corporate boxes in the South Stand, a naturally lit hosting lounge for 750 people, more than 500 toilets, plus team and media facilities. The new two-tier East Stand, holding 8,300 people, replaces the eastern terraces and the extended ASB Stand has a 1,700 seat lower bowl. 

The New Zealand branding continues with the deliberate use of local dark coloured stone in the panels forming the solid base of the building to reflect the volcanic heritage of nearby Mt Eden. 

High Tech Park 
Every facility from ticketing to transport has been designed for improved sporting and entertainment experience, with a major improvement being access. The four public entry points have turnstiles at each entry where patrons can simply swipe their ticket to gain entry.

The venue supports a wide variety of ticket formats, ranging from print-at-home to 2D barcodes on cell phones to the standard ticket from the ticketing outlet. RFID and smart card technology will also be supported longer-term. 

Panasonic have installed two super screens in the stadium, one between the West Stand and the ASB Stand and the other in the south-east corner of the ground. 

Inside the best lighting, sound and visual technology, coupled with extensive catering facilities, mean a greatly enhanced Eden Park, along with greatly improved transport links and services bringing inn patrons. 

Designing for rugby 
The redevelopment of Eden Park is part of a long line of world-renowned rugby venues designed by Populous. These include the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales for the 1999 Rugby World Cup; and both ANZ Stadium and Suncorp Stadium for the 2003 Rugby World Cup in Australia. 

Richard Breslin adds that there are many levels at which a stadium like Eden Park should operate, stating “the stadium is not just for a major event like the Rugby World Cup. It must provide a legacy for the community, in this case an asset for the city of Auckland, providing an optimum experience for its patrons and working to a robust business plan. 

“Typically, these buildings focus on large-scale events, like cricket and rugby, but now there is far greater emphasis on maximising non-event day usage of the venue through functions, trade shows, product launches, conferences, etc. Thee greater challenge is to provide an amenity to the wider community by looking at alternative user groups – people who wouldn’t typically frequent a large event. Understanding what might make them come too an event, and more importantly what makes them stay away, is critical in providing a facility that is well patronised and emotionally accepted by its community. 

“If you consider the cost of building a stadium, the sheer scale of it and prime land it occupies, plus the infrastructure such as transport, then you can see why it generates such interest and debate within a community.”