Former BA (Hons) Architecture student Tom Phillips (Unit 3) wins design for stadium entrance 
Working for Broadway Malyan ltd, Tom Phillips won the competition earlier in 2014. The design is Tom’s own, created through hand drawings and 3ds max visualisations. The entrance is currently being constructed and will be finished in September 2014.
The design and strategic moves made within the project were directly influenced by site forces and requirements. The stadium itself must remain anonymous. Using the stadium’s symbolism combined with the truss work, lattice work, site factors such as pedestrian views and routes, access, security, light, temperature, material choices and how the form connects to the main stadium have been thoroughly addressed and fully developed the aesthetic qualities inclusively.
The crystal form peers out from the stadium, luring people in and causing a facet of illusion where the cantilevering canopy seems to aim skyward when in fact it is horizontal. The design behind each angular panel and its assembly has been developed through spatial analysis whilst addressing specific design incentives such as the distinguishability between the inside and out. The prestigious, seemingly large VIP entrance uses these characteristics to its advantage, playing with materials that envelope wealth and stature, whilst also having a clear line of view through the transparent sides of the form.
Lighting is a key aspect and will help draw the intended public to the canopies. By using ambiance control, projections, up lighting, down lighting and interior differentiating effects through led diffusive panels and direct spotlights, a completely custom lighting system can be implemented and used to display graphics, advertisement or even game statistics. The bespoke language of the steel space-frame structure allows it to be lightweight, prefabricated off site and therefore extremely fast construction on site, despite its deceptive size. The driving force of the plan of the form was to create a large scale, intriguing cantilever, juxtaposed with a small ground floor plan thus allowing the pedestrians to still gain up to 80% of the width of the external area.
As demonstrated in the material and technical break down, the external floor has been adapted and allows a durable material to be visually richer whilst also acting as an area definer. Barriers and street furniture, including signage have been thought through and will follow the nature of the site combined with the new entrance design. The form is an attraction that uses all aspects studied to its advantage and reacts to the site in a new, irregular conforming way that will provide members with an impressive experience from entering the site.