DUBLIN - Aviva Stadium (51,700) [Archive]

conorworld

June 8th, 2005, 10:45 PM

The constant wrangling over Croke Park, brought further into the limelight because of Landsdown Road's parlous state and the planned rebuilding of it has been in the news for many a year here.

The Landsdown saga is a bit of a joke. The stadium sits on some of the finest real estate in the city, they would have been better off moving the whole junket outside the city limits. But I supposed that would have killed the special feel of the place.

The FAI and Rugby Association have been planning a new stadium for years but during the rebuilding of Landsdown road has brought forward the Croke Park debate.

Croke Park is an amazing stadium. The atmosphere there during a GAA match is unbelieveable and its a massive stadium. The Gaelic Athletic Association has gotten a lot of criticism recently because they received a huge amount or state aid, amounting to over 100 milllion euros to renovate their stadium to the stage it is in now. However, they have stood on their claim that no "Colonial" sports, such as rugby and soccer should play in it. This has been a bitter dispute until it was overturned recently.

Croke Park was the setting for the 2003 Special Olympics. There are no fotos of it here but it was an amazing sight to see the stadium as it was then with all the colours. I hope that atmosphere is transported to a soccer or rugby match there if they actually happen there as its not definate yet.

Kampflamm

March 2nd, 2006, 01:40 AM

Lansdowne Road Stadium has a long and proud sporting history. Long synonymous with the Irish International Rugby Team, over the past two decades it has also become the home of Irish Soccer.

The oldest international rugby ground in the world, Lansdowne Road Stadium has seen many developments over the past 130 years. It has, however, been recognised for some time that it now no longer provides the requirements of an international sporting arena.

Details of the plan to redevelop the ground were first announced in September 2004 by the Irish Government, the Irish Rugby Football Union and the Football Association of Ireland.

Lansdowne Road Stadium Development Company (LRSDC) was established in September 2004 to redevelop the stadium into a world class sporting facility.

The outline project schedule for the redevelopment of Lansdowne Road is as follows:

2004: Establishment of Lansdowne Road Stadium Development Company

2005: Appointment of Project Team. Lodgement of Planning Application.

2006: Planning process.

2007: Start of construction.

2009: Completion of Stadium.

http://www.lrsdc.ie/home/default.asp?NCID=1

video
http://www.fai.ie/virtualtour
http://www.irishrugby.ie/images/news/Landmark-interior-branded-r.jpg

http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/INT_RUGB%201200%20x%20872.jpg

http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/EXTERIOR%201200%20x%20712.jpg

http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/Podium%201200%20x%20620.jpg

The Hunted

March 2nd, 2006, 01:48 AM

Nice Renders, It looks like it will be a great stadium when complete.

Kampflamm

March 2nd, 2006, 01:54 AM

Looks like a mix between the Allianz and AWD-Arena (roof) to me.

The Hunted

March 2nd, 2006, 01:58 AM

Yes the exterior is spectacular.

BobDaBuilder

March 2nd, 2006, 02:33 AM

Superb.

gorgu

March 2nd, 2006, 06:34 AM

Reminds me of the Sydney Football Stadium and Telstra pretty much some design but inbetween the two of them in terms of size!!

Oh and I still think it should be bigger, 55000 is not big enough for the six nations and world cup qualifiers

NavyBlue

March 2nd, 2006, 07:21 AM

Impressive looking stadium but what happened to one of the end stands . . . run out of room?

kaunaz

March 2nd, 2006, 07:43 AM

So how big it will be? What is capicity of it?

teunster

March 2nd, 2006, 08:16 AM

Nooooo, this is actually making me sad.. :(

MoreOrLess

March 2nd, 2006, 09:23 AM

If 55,000 was all they could afford I'd say its a good design, gives you some big impressive stands and I'd guess the option of upgrading to 65-70,000.

CharlieP

March 2nd, 2006, 09:26 AM

Impressive looking stadium but what happened to one of the end stands . . . run out of room?

Yes - the neighbouring houses are so close that any extra height at that end would block all their natural light. The existing East Stand doesn't extend the full length of the pitch for that reason:

http://perso.wanadoo.fr/demeraux.jerome/Cartes/Dublin.jpg

Gherkin

March 2nd, 2006, 09:32 AM

(edit) Yes i have been to the stadium there is hardly any space between the smaller stand and the nearby houses.

dizee

April 3rd, 2006, 09:45 PM

Impressive looking stadium but what happened to one of the end stands . . . run out of room?
No, the current stadium runs north-south so that is true but the new one will face an east-west direction, there is in fact a rugby pitch right beside the existing stadium (click) (http://www.ol-blog.com/images/lansdowne-road.jpg). The reason that end stand is so low is so that there will not be a large shadow cast over the houses beside it (it sounds stupid, I know, but the residents have the power to hold up the whole planning process with objections like this, regardless of the national interest, and there is a strong NIMBY* syndrome in this country).

It will be a 55,000 all seater, cost is an issue as the FAI and IRFU are paying two-thirds of the cost themselves. The current stadium holds 48,000 for rugby matches, terraces and stands, and 33,000 for football matches with temporary seating installed.

*=not in my back yard

www.sercan.de

April 3rd, 2006, 10:35 PM

stands will be very huge

Welly

April 3rd, 2006, 10:49 PM

What a mess.

Lostboy

April 3rd, 2006, 11:19 PM

One of the nicest exteriors in the world. I like it very much, it will be the best looking Six Nations Stadium by far.

CharlieP

April 3rd, 2006, 11:57 PM

No, the current stadium runs north-south so that is true but the new one will face an east-west direction, there is in fact a rugby pitch right beside the existing stadium (click) (http://www.ol-blog.com/images/lansdowne-road.jpg). The reason that end stand is so low is so that there will not be a large shadow cast over the houses beside it (it sounds stupid, I know, but the residents have the power to hold up the whole planning process with objections like this, regardless of the national interest, and there is a strong NIMBY* syndrome in this country).

Er, no, the new stadium will be aligned in the same direction as the current one - if the pitch was rotated 90 degrees, one of the side stands would be adjacent to the houses in question. What you're suggesting is actually the more sensible idea, but if you look at the renderings at the top of the thread, and compare with current photos, the alignment is the same...

http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/EXTERIOR%201200%20x%20712.jpg

The railway line you can see cutting through the houses currently runs underneath the West Stand, so the pitch is now exactly parallel with the railway line, and appears to still be so in the new rendering.

pompeyfan

April 4th, 2006, 01:09 AM

What a mess.

What do you mean. it is by far one of the best stadiums, future or present, out there at the moment

Welly

April 4th, 2006, 01:14 AM

What do you mean. it is by fare one of the best stadiums, future or present, out there at the moment

Why? Because it has a wacky roof? It's unbalanced and for a stadium that is pretty much starting from scratch, that is unacceptable. I happen to have some friends very high up in the FAI and I know they're not too happy with it either, but have been forced into it by the Irish government and Irish Rugby Union.

The architect need shooting.

pompeyfan

April 4th, 2006, 01:26 AM

Why? Because it has a wacky roof? It's unbalanced and for a stadium that is pretty much starting from scratch, that is unacceptable. I happen to have some friends very high up in the FAI and I know they're not too happy with it either, but have been forced into it by the Irish government and Irish Rugby Union.

The architect need shooting.

It still looks brilliant

WeasteDevil

April 4th, 2006, 01:26 AM

I can't help but feel that it's all a little bit crazy when you have a stadium like Croke Park in your back yard that still needs finishing.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/81/From_the_hill.jpg

Welly

April 4th, 2006, 01:30 AM

It still looks brilliant

What do you want to do, sit in and and wank one off to it or sit in it and watch top class sport?

I can't help but feel that it's all a little bit crazy when you have a stadium like Croke Park in your back yard that still needs finishing

Unfortunately Croke is owned by a bunch of bigoted racists so a decent stadium like that will be left to host irrelevant sports. Such a shame.

NFLeuropefan

April 4th, 2006, 03:45 AM

Awesome stadium, looks cool.....

pompeyfan

April 4th, 2006, 03:50 AM

What do you want to do, sit in and and wank one off to it or sit in it and watch top class sport?

Unfortunately Croke is owned by a bunch of bigoted racists so a decent stadium like that will be left to host irrelevant sports. Such a shame.

Seems to me like you seem to be the only person in the whole world who believes that, but that is your choice

Disraeli

April 4th, 2006, 03:52 AM

Isn't it true that they won't let English games be played at Croke park?

Durbsboi

April 4th, 2006, 10:26 AM

Apart from what Welly has to say, because we all know is a gay wanker. I quite like Lansdowne Road, not because the Sprinboks beat your'll there quite a few times, but because the current stadium reminds me abit of kings park here in Durban.
http://img46.imageshack.us/img46/7771/63196502o3634630616pr.jpg

Lostboy

April 4th, 2006, 12:19 PM

Isn't it true that they won't let English games be played at Croke park?

It is, but that doesn't neccessarily mean much.

Twickenham won't let football be played there, only Rugby. I've been to Croke Park, an enjoyable experience, I don't particularly associate it with Anglophobia, the Irish after all, are generally a friendly and warm people, almost all of whom are willing to let the past be there, lets not have them mixed up with the bigotted Scots, or Americans who are confused about their identity so pretend to be Irish. There are probably solid funding reasons for keeping it limited to Gaelic Games. Also, the English are both blessed and cursed that their culture is global, meaning that we have less of it for our own identity unfortunately, but that we can also be ensured of its survival. The English Language is the World Language, and English Sports are World Sports. In both cases its obviously not true, and the Irish are legitimate in wanting to protect both, this isn't Anglophobia, - it may have been once - this is wanting to preserve your culture.

No doubt if the Irish were as similarly enamoured with American Culture as the reverse - fortunately through good taste they are not - Croke Park would not be avaliable for American Football either. You must understand there are thousands of superb stadia across the world used for football, and dozens of world class facilities for rugby in various forms. There is just one for Gaelic Football and other games, keeping it that way is a tribute to these, not bigotry against the English.

carlspannoosh

April 4th, 2006, 12:44 PM

In the 90s the GAA apparently relaxed the "no foreign sports" policy to allow a couple of American Football games to be played and are likely to do so again for Soccer and Rugby while Lansdowne Road is being rebuilt. The new stadium looks excellent by the way.

Quintana

April 4th, 2006, 12:52 PM

Croke Park is certainly not ideal for sports like football or rugby. Its pitch measures 144.5 m x 88 m. I guess you could fit an athletics track in there.

Loranga

April 4th, 2006, 04:05 PM

Croke Park is certainly not ideal for sports like football or rugby. Its pitch measures 144.5 m x 88 m. I guess you could fit an athletics track in there.

This means the Olympics in Dublin one day? :)

Quintana

April 4th, 2006, 04:53 PM

This means the Olympics in Dublin one day? :)

I have serious doubts Dublin and Ireland could pull that but who knows. Sounds a lot better than yet another US olympics ;)

Morten M

April 4th, 2006, 09:14 PM

If I was a stadium owner, I would rent it out to anybody who would pay to use it, everything else is simply stupidity.

pompeyfan

April 5th, 2006, 01:22 AM

What do you want to do, sit in and and wank one off to it or sit in it and watch top class sport?

Unfortunately Croke is owned by a bunch of bigoted racists so a decent stadium like that will be left to host irrelevant sports. Such a shame.

Come on, show us your perfect design for Landsdowne Road!!! Since you believe you know what you're talking about, you'll easily be able to provide us with the perfect design

cellete

April 5th, 2006, 01:33 AM

Fantastic project. Congratulations

Welly

April 5th, 2006, 01:43 AM

Come on, show us your perfect design for Landsdowne Road!!! Since you believe you know what you're talking about, you'll easily be able to provide us with the perfect design

Ok. Tell you what, I will get the area plan sent to me tomorrow, and I'll knock you something up in the next day or two. I know for a fact (having been a guest of the FAI several times and visited the site) how much space they have, the budget they have to work within and the concerns of the local people (including the LDGA, the BAC and the Cullach).

I could increase capacity by at least 5,000 working with that budget, I could have a balanced stadium and it would still comply with UEFA (srs98) to achieve a 5.984 level stadium (as required in the brief).

It would also not have what looks like a transparent bicycle tyre wrapped round it in a slap-dash fashion, that, strangely, the helmets on here are knocking more J. Arthurs out to than pics of Kelly Brook with her bomb doors out.

I'll be back in a couple of days with something that will blow your socks up your snout. Watch this space.

pompeyfan

April 5th, 2006, 01:48 AM

Ok. Tell you what, I will get the area plan sent to me tomorrow, and I'll knock you something up in the next day or two. I know for a fact (having been a guest of the FAI several times and visited the site) how much space they have, the budget they have to work within and the concerns of the local people (including the LDGA, the BAC and the Cullach).

I could increase capacity by at least 5,000 working with that budget, I could have a balanced stadium and it would still comply with UEFA (srs98) to achieve a 5.984 level stadium (as required in the brief).

It would also not have what looks like a transparent bicycle tyre wrapped round it in a slap-dash fashion, that, strangely, the helmets on here are knocking more J. Arthurs out to than pics of Kelly Brook with her bomb doors out.

I'll be back in a couple of days with something that will blow your socks up your snout. Watch this space.

I look forward to it. and i am sure it will be perfect so everyone else can see just whether your criticism is justified. i am sure there will be renderings as well, showing the stadium from the three main angles

pompeyfan

April 5th, 2006, 01:55 AM

What do you want to do, sit in and and wank one off to it or sit in it and watch top class sport?

Unfortunately Croke is owned by a bunch of bigoted racists so a decent stadium like that will be left to host irrelevant sports. Such a shame.

You know what, you're right. i did find only one other person who dislikes the design. Agrees with you totally. but it is my mother, who knows nothing. but the other 150 people i showed the design to loved it. But we now know that you're not the only one.

I still am sure you're design will be perfect.

Welly

April 5th, 2006, 01:58 AM

You know what, you're right. i did find only one other person who dislikes the design. Agrees with you totally. but it is my mother, who knows nothing. but the other 150 people i showed the design to loved it. But we now know that you're not the only one.

I still am sure you're design will be perfect.

You showed 150 people the design of a stadium yet to be built?

Jesus wept I hope I never get stuck with you on New Year's Eve.

pompeyfan

April 5th, 2006, 02:03 AM

You showed 150 people the design of a stadium yet to be built?

Jesus wept I hope I never get stuck with you on New Year's Eve.

yep

pompeyfan

April 5th, 2006, 07:47 AM

You showed 150 people the design of a stadium yet to be built?

Jesus wept I hope I never get stuck with you on New Year's Eve.

Why do you flit people off????

Welly

April 5th, 2006, 07:49 AM

Why do you flit people off????

Ask me again but this time in English and I'll consider giving you an answer.

pompeyfan

April 5th, 2006, 08:12 AM

Ask me again but this time in English and I'll consider giving you an answer.

Flit means to be a jerk

pompeyfan

April 5th, 2006, 08:13 AM

Flit means to behave like a jerk

Now what's your answer???

Welly

April 5th, 2006, 08:24 AM

Flit means to be a jerk

No it doesn't. It means to move rapidly or nimbly. At a push it could mean 'to jerk' as in the verb. To use it as a noun is poor.

Anyway, this thread is about Landsdowne Road, not personal insults, so I'll ask you to keep those to yourself in future.

Turd.

pompeyfan

April 5th, 2006, 08:35 AM

No it doesn't. It means to move rapidly or nimbly. At a push it could mean 'to jerk' as in the verb. To use it as a noun is poor.

Anyway, this thread is about Landsdowne Road, not personal insults, so I'll ask you to keep those to yourself in future.

Turd.

Right Welly

pompeyfan

April 5th, 2006, 08:37 AM

Welly

April 5th, 2006, 08:41 AM

Flit n. play as a fool, jerk,

You're obviously not using the OED as a reference guide here. Don't argue with me when it comes to my language. I'm a professor of English. You struggle to put two words together, which is no great shame seeing as it's obviously not your native language. And you're a bit slow.

Now please, back to the stadiums...

pompeyfan

April 5th, 2006, 08:42 AM

Flit n. play as a fool, jerk,

by the way, to answer your next question, it is from the compact dictionary of common new world language

Welly

April 5th, 2006, 08:44 AM

by the way, to answer your next question, it is from the compact dictionary of common new world language

Thought as much. Known in the trade as 'The Dictionary Of Slang for Mental Retards'.

pompeyfan

April 5th, 2006, 08:45 AM

You're obviously not using the OED as a reference guide here. Don't argue with me when it comes to my language. I'm a professor of English. You struggle to put two words together, which is no great shame seeing as it's obviously not your native language. And you're a bit slow.

Now please, back to the stadiums...

right, going back over the language and sentence structure from you, you'd be lucky to pass sixth grade english.

As for turd, n. clump of faeces

pompeyfan

April 5th, 2006, 08:47 AM

Thought as much. Known in the trade as 'The Dictionary Of Slang for Mental Retards'.

I'm sure that 'thought as much' is a sentence fragment. it should be 'I thought as much' to be a proper sentence.

pompeyfan

April 5th, 2006, 08:48 AM

by the way, to answer your next question, it is from the compact dictionary of common new world language

you'd be surprised.

Welly

April 5th, 2006, 08:49 AM

I still am sure you're design will be perfect

Yes, you're right. I have much to learn from you. :D

pompeyfan

April 5th, 2006, 08:50 AM

Yes, you're right. I have much to learn from you. :D

it's true

pompeyfan

April 5th, 2006, 08:55 AM

Thought as much. Known in the trade as 'The Dictionary Of Slang for Mental Retards'.

Go and look up 'retard' in the dictionary and then get back to me

pompeyfan

April 5th, 2006, 08:57 AM

Thought as much. Known in the trade as 'The Dictionary Of Slang for Mental Retards'.

No English professor or whatever you call yourself would use a sentence like that

pompeyfan

April 5th, 2006, 09:00 AM

by the way, to answer your next question, it is from the compact dictionary of common new world language

And it is produced by Oxford

Welly

April 5th, 2006, 09:02 AM

No English professor or whatever you call yourself would use a sentence like that

For when the one you're using now breaks (http://shop.btcv.org.uk/upload/images/standard/327_D01.jpg)

pompeyfan

April 5th, 2006, 09:03 AM

oh, is that a shovel? Perfect for burying people

pompeyfan

April 5th, 2006, 09:05 AM

and legacies

pompeyfan

April 5th, 2006, 09:06 AM

or turds

pompeyfan

April 5th, 2006, 09:10 AM

now since i dispelled of you, i'll get back to the stadium. It is a brilliant stadium.

Welly

April 5th, 2006, 09:12 AM

now since i dispelled of you, i'll get back to the stadium. It is a brilliant stadium.

Yeah I have to hold my hands up there; I just couldn't compete.

Oh yes, when you sober up in the morning, it might be an idea to get yourself a new username before making another appearance on here. Or you could just keep with what you've got and brave it out.

pompeyfan

April 5th, 2006, 09:16 AM

the architects did well, considering the original design they had (sorry for no pics).

pompeyfan

April 5th, 2006, 09:19 AM

Yeah I have to hold my hands up there; I just couldn't compete.

Oh yes, when you sober up in the morning, it might be an idea to get yourself a new username before making another appearance on here. Or you could just keep with what you've got and brave it out.

you crack me up. for someone who speaks such brilliant english, you sure are doing very well at reading a simple sentence

pompeyfan

April 5th, 2006, 09:21 AM

now since i dispelled of you, i'll get back to the stadium. It is a brilliant stadium.

namely

pompeyfan

April 5th, 2006, 09:23 AM

from http://dictionary.reference.com/

dis·pel ( P ) Pronunciation Key (d-spl)
tr.v. dis·pelled, dis·pel·ling, dis·pels
To rid one's mind of: managed to dispel my doubts.
To drive away or off by or as if by scattering. See Synonyms at scatter.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Middle English dispellen, from Latin dispellere : dis-, apart; see dis- + pellere, to drive; see pel-5 in Indo-European Roots.]

pompeyfan

April 5th, 2006, 09:24 AM

if you're still stuck, it can pronounce it too!!!

pompeyfan

April 5th, 2006, 09:26 AM

now, if anyone else but Welly, who will show us his perfect proposal soon, has anything to say about the marvellous Landsdowne Road, a favourite of mine, say it.

Welly

April 5th, 2006, 09:29 AM

now, if anyone else but Welly, who will show us his perfect proposal soon, has anything to say about the marvellous Landsdowne Road, a favourite of mine, say it.

:D

I think we should send someone round to check up on this helmet.

pompeyfan

April 5th, 2006, 09:31 AM

my helmet is fine

pompeyfan

April 5th, 2006, 09:32 AM

i just want to hear about Landsdowne Road, not your lost disagreements

pompeyfan

April 5th, 2006, 09:44 AM

the architects did well, considering the original design they had (sorry for no pics).

They also have allowed grass to grow naturally by having vents for air

Durbsboi

April 5th, 2006, 10:04 AM

^^Are you talking to your self?

This thread looks like the "Welly vs Rexfan2 thread"

Get a life!

pompeyfan

April 5th, 2006, 10:07 AM

^^Are you talking to your self?

This thread looks like the "Welly vs Rexfan2 thread"

Get a life!

actually, i am trying to speak to someone other then Welly

pompeyfan

April 5th, 2006, 10:07 AM

who has a brain

Durbsboi

April 5th, 2006, 10:09 AM

^^get your point, I can see that welly is a real wanker

Landsdowne Road

April 5th, 2006, 10:36 AM

Welly, i am absolutely sure that you must have no idea what you are talking about. I am one of the people who is working on the design of Landsdowne Road so I look forward to seeing your design.

Welly

April 5th, 2006, 10:43 AM

Welly, i am absolutely sure that you must have no idea what you are talking about. I am one of the people who is working on the design of Landsdowne Road so I look forward to seeing your design.

Hi rexfan. 1/10 for effort.

pompeyfan

April 5th, 2006, 10:53 AM

hello welly. wtf are you talking about.

pompeyfan

April 5th, 2006, 10:54 AM

i was eating dinner when the message came in

pompeyfan

April 5th, 2006, 10:56 AM

and it is Rexfan2

pompeyfan

April 5th, 2006, 10:57 AM

hello Welly

pompeyfan

April 5th, 2006, 10:59 AM

IS anyone else willing to talk about Landsdowne Road

pompeyfan

April 5th, 2006, 11:01 AM

anyone with a brain

CharlieP

April 5th, 2006, 12:40 PM

Welly, i am absolutely sure that you must have no idea what you are talking about. I am one of the people who is working on the design of Landsdowne Road...

If so, you could at least spell it correctly!

Kampflamm

April 5th, 2006, 12:46 PM

Why is Welly still around? Mods, do your job.

london lad

April 5th, 2006, 12:51 PM

Why is the stadium only 55,000?? & why is one end only one little tier- Is it because of plannign issue such as a row of housing etc behind????

Durbsboi

April 5th, 2006, 02:56 PM

Hi rexfan. 1/10 for effort.
You are a wanker but I must admit, this was funny! :rofl:

Durbsboi

April 5th, 2006, 02:58 PM

cianobuckley

April 5th, 2006, 04:45 PM

No, the current stadium runs north-south so that is true but the new one will face an east-west direction, there is in fact a rugby pitch right beside the existing stadium (click) (http://www.ol-blog.com/images/lansdowne-road.jpg). The reason that end stand is so low is so that there will not be a large shadow cast over the houses beside it (it sounds stupid, I know, but the residents have the power to hold up the whole planning process with objections like this, regardless of the national interest, and there is a strong NIMBY* syndrome in this country).

It will be a 55,000 all seater, cost is an issue as the FAI and IRFU are paying two-thirds of the cost themselves. The current stadium holds 48,000 for rugby matches, terraces and stands, and 33,000 for football matches with temporary seating installed.

*=not in my back yard
you mean two rugby pitches but after the development there will be just one

NeilF

April 30th, 2006, 07:16 AM

There are two main problems I have with the design;

1) The lack of capacity. Given the demand, especially for international rugby matches, why they haven't chosen to use even more of the space that could be created by shifting the whole emphasis east even further than the current plan, and having larger east and west stands is beyond me. Given the decision taken for the tiny North End, the rest of the stadium could be much improved!

2) The North end. I don't know if anyone was in Lansdowne Road for the Autumn rugby internationals when the North Terrace was closed because of a small fire, but the whole atmosphere just leaked out that way and eventually became non-existant. With the North End in this design, the same thing is going to happen.

I can't remember offhand how much it's going to cost, but I think it's something like 300million Euro or something like that? If that much money is going to be spent, at least the whole thing could be done properly, and that could benefit the fans of Irish sport better. To be honest, I think I liked the original design for the place better. It looks more balanced. None of the flare, I admit, but the balance is much more important. Ultimately, this one is just another giant compromise.

CharlieP

August 1st, 2006, 01:58 PM

Planning permission has finally been given:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/international/5233256.stm

Kampflamm

February 27th, 2007, 02:19 PM

Is this an older proposal?

http://irish.rugbynow.net/static/images/entries/2004_01_24_lansdowne.jpg

NeilF

February 27th, 2007, 05:47 PM

EADGBE

February 27th, 2007, 11:58 PM

Yes. This was the plan that involved rotating the pitch 90 degrees. The big problem with this was (still) the houses behind the North End being unhappy with the shadows being cast by the stadium (hence the tiny North End on the current stadium). The plan for that stadium, at least, added 7,000 onto capacity and, to be honest, seems generally more appealing than the current design.

Eh? This is the pitch rotated by 90 degrees?
http://irish.rugbynow.net/static/images/entries/2004_01_24_lansdowne.jpg

I don't think so. This is the same orientation of the 'old' ground, with the DART running behind the stand on the Western side of the pitch, the larger stand on the Eastern side and the practice pitch behid it. In order to enable the much-vaunted rotation, the 'other' pitch would have to be sacrificed.

NeilF

February 28th, 2007, 02:56 AM

Judging by this picture, you would be correct. Certainly, the grassy areas around the houses match up

http://www.stadiumguide.com/lansdowne1.jpg

However, I distinctly remember that the original plan at Lansdowne Road was to rotate the pitch 90 degrees and remove one of the two pitches to the rear (I believe that one of these will be sacrificed to accommodate the larger distance to the back of the East stand on the current plan). I'm not sure if, therefore, there was a far earlier plan than this picture or if it was the same plan, just rotated. I think, but don't quote me, that the rotation was to accommodate two three tier stands along the touchlines. As it is, the above one would appear to be one two tier and one three tier. Either way, the stadium shown was a plan that predated the current idea but I do apologise for my misinformation.

Kampflamm

February 28th, 2007, 02:20 PM

Are any constructions pics available?

Gherkin

March 1st, 2007, 12:57 PM

Benjuk

March 2nd, 2007, 02:04 PM

^^ I can't find anything in the Irish/Dublin forums, but I did find these lovely Hi-Res renders:

http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/INT_RUGB%201200%20x%20872.jpg
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/Podium%201200%20x%20620.jpg
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/EXTERIOR%201200%20x%20712.jpg :)

Those renders are in the first post on the thread.

Does look lovely though. Anyone got an 'up to date' budget for the project?

Spank

March 3rd, 2007, 08:02 PM

Looks lovely indeed but surely the atmosphere is going to suffer with that wee end stand. Im trying to think of any other stadium with such a disproportionate stand compared with the others.

||-GOB-||

March 3rd, 2007, 09:08 PM

Im trying to think of any other stadium with such a disproportionate stand compared with the others.
St James' Park springs to mind.

CharlieP

July 6th, 2007, 04:33 PM

Just found this picture on another forum:

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b58/footloose_/aaaaaaa.jpg

Annoyingly, the contributor says that you can find lots of high-res photos by Googling for "lansdowne road redevelopment", but that doesn't bring anything good up for me...

pompeyfan

July 7th, 2007, 03:58 AM

Definitely looks like they are going full steam ahead with the redevelopment

NeilF

July 7th, 2007, 04:36 AM

Here's another couple of pictures. Obviously, they were taken before the ones already posted:

http://www.irishrugby.ie/images/news/Lansdowne_Development1.jpg
http://www.irishrugby.ie/images/content/ireland/Lansdowne_bulldozer.jpg

Full details on the proposed progress of the redevelopment:

Demolition and rail corridor contract: May 2007 to December 2007
Substructure contract: May 2007 to May 2008
Main stadium contract: July 2007 to October 2009
Structural steelwork contract: September 2007 to September 2009
Roofing and cladding contract: May 2008 to September 2009
Mechanical contract: February 2008 to October 2009
Electrical contract: March 2008 to October 2009
Pitch installation contract: April 2009 to October 2009
Commissioning: October 2008 to December 2009

gbo21

July 7th, 2007, 05:39 AM

Looks lovely indeed but surely the atmosphere is going to suffer with that wee end stand. Im trying to think of any other stadium with such a disproportionate stand compared with the others.

...reminds me of another irish ground

VelesHomais

July 7th, 2007, 05:52 AM

It's awesome, dude

NeilF

July 7th, 2007, 06:19 PM

...reminds me of another irish ground

I'm guessing this is a reference to Croke Park? I hardly think it compares, though. The Hill 16 and Nally Terraces hold nearly 14,000 people, against what looks to be about 1,000 people at the North end of Lansdowne road. The other thing is that at its tallest, the terraces at Croker come right up to the corporate decks of the Cusack and Hogan stands. While they drop down considerably behind the goal, you cannot compare the bus shelter end of the new Landsdowne Road to those terraces.

Some pictures:

http://k43.pbase.com/v3/08/578508/2/49142032.UpLoadPhotosHill16.jpg
http://www.castlebar.ie/gallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=5640&g2_serialNumber=6
http://longford.gaa.ie/longford%20v%20dublin%20action%2020%2005.jpg

The best image of the size of the Hill 16 Terrance I can find is at the start of this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQ6-bYixpYE

I really think that an uncovered terrace should have been built on the site of the current North Terrace. If it could easily be converted to seating for football, there would be no problem and since it wouldn't need a roof, it could be built higher and increase capacity. I still get the feeling that the redevelopment of Lansdowne Road is a hideous compromise.

NeilF

July 9th, 2007, 08:44 PM

More pictures of the demolition:

Commentary Box / South Terrace

http://www.irishrugby.ie/images/news/LR3.jpg

North Terrace And East Stand:

http://www.irishrugby.ie/images/news/LR1.jpg

East Stand:

http://www.irishrugby.ie/images/news/LR2.jpg

East Stand II:

http://www.irishrugby.ie/images/news/LR5.jpg

West Stand:

http://www.irishrugby.ie/images/news/LR6.jpg

East Stand From South Terrace:

http://www.irishrugby.ie/images/news/LR7.jpg

West Stand From North Terrace:

http://www.irishrugby.ie/images/news/LR8.jpg

East Stand And South Terrace:

http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/Image/Demolition-South%20Terrace.jpg

From Above:

http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O8563_60751517.JPG

(linked because of enormous size)

Seems the website for the redevelopment will be receiving regular updates from here on in.

Gherkin

July 10th, 2007, 01:10 AM

Great pics! Nice to see some action on site!

NeilF

July 19th, 2007, 01:50 PM

Pictures from demolition at various times:

Aerial Shots:

http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O8557_(Small)_27257190.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O8559_(Small)_49416797.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O8563_(Small)_22184556.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O8558_(Small)_92686794.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O8560_(Small)_83517434.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O8561_(Small)_23985960.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O8562_(Small)_51047673.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O9624_(Small)_92768016.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O9628_(Small)_45749930.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O9629_(Small)_64044554.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O9630_(Small)_48950901.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O9631_(Small)_95496314.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O9625_(Small)_18805254.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O9626_(Small)_43891822.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O9627_(Small)_01853936.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O9632_(Small)_84694850.JPG

Ground Shots:

http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/DSCF4509_(Small)_40576858.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/DSCF4515_(Small)_90253703.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/DSCF4518_(Small)_39265090.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/DSCF4519_(Small)_73317005.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/DSCF4532_(Small)_50007801.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/DSCF4526_(Small)_27800900.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/DSCF4540_(Small)_58340147.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/DSCF5570_(Small)_47960879.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/DSCF5563_(Small)_46023017.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/DSCF5564_(Small)_94712569.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/DSCF5565_(Small)_34330216.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/DSCF5569_(Small)_22833301.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/DSCF5578_(Small)_86643200.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/DSCF5581_(Small)_22986995.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/DSCF5584_(Small)_98993758.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/DSCF5585_(Small)_08699265.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/DSCF5586_(Small)_64211042.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/DSCF6362_(Small)_16942973.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/DSCF6370_(Small)_44413181.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/DSCF6354_(Small)_55737861.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/DSCF6355_(Small)_22212124.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/DSCF6360_(Small)_74702505.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/DSCF6368_(Small)_03190331.jpg

Durbsboi

July 19th, 2007, 01:57 PM

holy shit, its almost all gone!

GreenwichSE10

July 19th, 2007, 02:17 PM

I never liked Lansdowne Rd Stadium..from the back it looked remarkbly like the old Cardiff Arms Park with the finger like structures.

NeilF

July 19th, 2007, 02:20 PM

I think I can honestly and unequivocally that anyone who says that they don't like Lansdowne Road has never been in it. Of course it doesn't look great. It was thrown together as cheaply as possible and crammed into an unsuitably shaped piece of land. It was little more than a rotting husk of a building with seats stuck in it. Despite that, despite the lack of facilities and the fact that so much of the ground was totally uncovered, despite the fact that access was atrocious, it was still the most fantastic place to watch sport. Never have I experienced a stadium where, no matter where you were sitting or standing, that allowed you to feel as if you were almost right on top of the players. For a rotting husk, it was a fantastic place to watch sport and the atmosphere generated is some of the best, anywhere in the world.

NeilF

July 26th, 2007, 01:21 PM

New Photos: 25/07/2007

Ground:

http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/DSCF7512_(Medium)_60728711.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/DSCF7517_(Medium)_24362766.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/DSCF7520_(Medium)_57352165.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/DSCF7527_(Medium)_56031288.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/DSCF7534_(Medium)_38394041.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/DSCF7525_(Medium)_92531652.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/DSCF7530_(Medium)_34535939.JPG

Aerial:

http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O0353_(Small)_86951506.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O0356_(Small)_97735010.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O0358_(Small)_33705240.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O0359_(Small)_04875285.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O0360_(Small)_68265564.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O0363_(Small)_63859714.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O0354_(Small)_61584632.JPG

Old Pictures:

http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/01_26786119.02.83_(Small).jpg

Old East Stand:

http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/01_57352587.02.83-4_(Small).jpg
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/01_40757824.02.83-2_(Small).jpg

Demolition of Old East Stand

http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/07_82517309.04.83_(Small).jpg

Building of New East Stand

http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/13_63716983.07.83-3_(Small).jpg
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/18_11287791.11.83_(Small).jpg
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/13_89365849.07.83-1_(Small).jpg
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/13_33588408.07.83_(Small).jpg
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1983_(Small)_58581598.jpg

EADGBE

July 26th, 2007, 03:15 PM

Some great pictures there, old and new!

The East Stand didn't take long to come down, but I suspect the West Stand will take a little longer. Is the DART still running as normal throughout this process? If so, the work to demolish the West Stand could now be painfully slow.

Unfortunately, I never went there to watch any sport, but I did go to a concert there once with a ticket for the end terrace. We all evaded the security staff on the corner of the ground and ran onto the pitch for a better view. Thus, like Jason Robinson, I can say "I ran in at the corner at Lansdowne Road"!

NeilF

July 26th, 2007, 03:23 PM

I'm not 100% on this but I'd imagine the DART is still running. I base this on the removal, piece by piece, of the West Stand so far, including the roof panels. I imagine the DART will have to be suspended twice; once to allow the West Stand to be safely demolished and once to build the new platform. Apart from that, I can't see any time when it would 'need' to be closed.

The last game I saw in Lansdowne Road was eight and a half years ago now when Ulster won the European Cup in a fantastic, and bloody cold, day. I tried to get to the last ever game there; Leinster vs. Ulster in the Magner's League last New Years Eve. Instead, I spent it on a cargo boat somewhere in the Irish Sea. Sadly, getting tickets for any international game played there in recent years proved to be somewhat impossible, so the only time I get to see the national side is when they come to Murrayfield. I'm not holding much hope that I'll ever watch an international rugby match in the new Lansdowne Road, given the IRFU's ticketing distribution policy through local clubs.

gorgu

July 28th, 2007, 03:30 PM

Easte fo money should have just completed Croke Park, if they let it be used for the other sports now why not in the future, seem pretty simple to me

:-)

EADGBE

July 29th, 2007, 12:11 PM

Well you probably need to know a lot more about the deeply-entrenched politics between the GAA (who own Croke Park) and those who run the 'British' sports of football and rugby union.

You need to look at the space available behind the terraced end at Croke - and the whole history of its construction.

If you did, you'd know why it's such a naive suggestion.

gorgu

July 29th, 2007, 12:17 PM

mate I know about the significance of the terrace at Croker and also the rubble being used to build the terrace etc, I am not that naive but thanks for patronising me.

remember I am from a country where the rugby stadium is on one city and the football one in another 'just because' that is the way it has always been. SO we have two mediocre stadia unlink the Welsh who have one amazing one!

Personally IMO now that the precedece has been set why not continue?

The games at Croker this year were amazing!

NeilF

July 29th, 2007, 01:13 PM

There's a railway and houses behind the Hill 16 / Nally Terrace end at Croke Park. More importantly, much of the land that would be required for building isn't exactly suitable. I'm loathe to call it a marsh, but it's not exactly solid ground.

I think there are two much more important things at play, however; the IRFU will make a hell of a lot more money out of having their own stadium than playing at Croker, even though Croker has a much higher capacity, simply because it recoups all gate receipts and gets the cash flow benefits of debenture seats and boxes. Secondly, Croker really isn't a stadium suitable for watching rugby. The playing surface is far, far too large and, according to some people I know who were sitting right up in the Gods for the France game, it was impossible to actually see what was going on. Croke Park is a stadium designed for a sport that has a lot of ball in the air / open play. It is wholly unsuitable for fans to watch a sport like rugby, where the ball is forever on the ground.

The other thing to remember is that an extension at Croke Park may just not be worth the cost of building it. It would stand to increase capacity by about 10,000 but the process has a lot of problems in itself. Moreso, the GAA has always prided itself on providing a reasonable amount of low cost tickets for its matches. Remove the terrace and ticket prices would have to go up.

I'm not particularly enamoured with the design for Lansdowne Road. I'm not even sure if building the new stadium on the Lansdowne Road site was the best idea but I do believe that having two top quality stadia in Dublin is a necessity. Quite beyond whether or not the GAA would be willing to let rugby union / soccer be played there on a permanent basis and whether it would be willing to relinquish some control of the stadium to the IRFU / FAI because they helped with the construction of one end of the stadium, I just don't think Crokeer is suitable as a long-term venue for rugby in any way, beyond the huge capacity of the place.

I still feel the IRFU should be building something with at least a capcity of about 65,000, which I'm guessing Lansdowne Road would be if it had been fully developed on all four sides.

NeilF

August 14th, 2007, 10:47 AM

Stadium Update - 13th August 2007

The good news is that last weekend saw the virtual completion of the deconstruction of the stadium. While we still need to crush much of the rubble (to use it in the construction of the new stadium) the really noisy work is complete.On behalf of all associated with the project I would like to thank you for your patience, understanding and goodwill.

West Stand Demolishion (Video):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_SEUR_u-GU

Ground Shots (4th August 2007)

http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/DSCF7455_(Small)_52965953.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/DSCF7504_(Small)_62416025.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/DSCF7526_(Small)_42467716.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/DSCF7531_(Small)_17243500.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/DSCF7552_(Small)_55991316.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/DSCF7558_(Small)_92197597.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/DSCF7454_(Small)_70069581.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/DSCF7467_(Small)_13211094.JPG

Aerial Shots (4th August 2007)

http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O2060_(Small)_19045299.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O2016_(Small)_34328750.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O2019_(Small)_95894536.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O2027_(Small)_56167261.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O2059_(Small)_54188817.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O2031_(Small)_50905941.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O1813_(Small)_95335136.JPG

EADGBE

August 14th, 2007, 02:36 PM

How long is the DART line out of action for?

NeilF

August 14th, 2007, 03:42 PM

I'm not 100% on this, but I think that the DART was closed from Sunday 5th through to Sunday 12th August and should now be back up and running. It will also be closed for a further week in October when the construction of the podium begins but I'm not sure how long it will be out of action then.

NeilF

August 17th, 2007, 01:43 PM

I stand corrected; the DART was only closed for three days, from Saturday 4th August to Monday 6th August and reopened on Tuesday 7th August.

In the early hours of Monday, 6 August, 2007 the last pieces of the West Stand were laid to rest on the old pitch at Lansdowne Road. The completion of the demolition of the West Stand was in effect the completion of the deconstruction of the stadium.

While a great deal of rubble both from the East and West Stands still remains all of the demolition work has been virtually completed. The rubble is currently being crushed with a view to using it in the foundations of the new stadium.

The overall deconstruction, or demolition, programme has gone smoothly since it started at the end of May.

Completion of the programme means that the overall work for the stadium is very much on schedule for completion towards the end of 2009 with the first Six Nations matches due to be played there in 2010.

Work on the deconstruction programme started with the terrace at the South End. This was followed by a soft strip out of the materials from the West Stand and the removal of the roof sheets on the West Stand. The final deconstruction of the West Stand was always scheduled for the August bank holiday weekend, given its proximity to the DART line which needed to be closed for a three day period.

While waiting for that weekend the demolition work was completed both of the East Stand and at the Northern End.

The deconstruction of the West Stand was perhaps the most delicate operation in the total demolition programme given its proximity to the DART line. The work was carried out over a 72 hour period which was finished on schedule to ensure that the DART was back up and running on Tuesday morning, 7 August.

In tandem with the completion of the deconstruction programme works also commenced on the excavation of the basement for the new East Stand.

Work has also commenced on the piling programme in relation to the foundations.

Speaking about the deconstruction programme Michael Greene, the Project Director of the Lansdowne Road Stadium Development complimented all involved. He said that the demolition programme had been a great team effort which had seen the demolition completed on schedule. He also acknowledged the goodwill from the local community during the demolition.

EADGBE

August 17th, 2007, 01:54 PM

That's not bad going, is it? Minimal disruption. I wonder how much it will be affected by the rebuild. Will the new structure span the line in the same way?

Thinking about it now, I'd probably expect it not to. The pitch is going to be rotated 90 degrees isn't it? That should leave room for a proper station, designed for a crowd (similar to the two at Wembley).

CharlieP

August 17th, 2007, 01:56 PM

The stadium should be rotated 90 degrees to make full use of the site, but it appears it's not going to be... :ohno:

NeilF

August 17th, 2007, 02:34 PM

There is going to be a new 'podium' built to span the line. The West Stand will be moved east a little, with the podium used as access to the stadium. The podium is what people are walking on here:

http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/Podium%201200%20x%20620.jpg

I've seen nothing about the potential disruption during the construction of the podium, but the work is scheduled to begin in October. I can't imagine it being that great, however, as the stand itself does not cross the lines.

The stadium will not be rotated 90 degrees. Sadly, this seems a consequence of the houses to the north of the stadium. The North End of the current plan is little more than a bus shelter because of residents' opposition to the new stadium. Planning probably wouldn't have been given without this sacrifice at the North End, so rotating 90 degrees would be illogical; it would be a tiny bus shelter side, rather than a tiny bus shelter end, which is about the only thing that could be worse than the current design.

With a fully developed North End, this stadium would be just about right for Irish rugby, with a capacity of about 65,000(ish). As it stands, the capacity of the old ground was insufficient, so more than €300,000,000 stands to be spent for some better facilities and 14,000 extra seats for international football. Just how ridiculous that sounds, as I write it, explains everything, as far as I am concerned.

EADGBE

August 17th, 2007, 02:53 PM

EADGBE struggles to suppress the urge to make a cheap pun on the word 'Irish', drawing on negative stereotypes which imply an unfathomable logic - lest they be perceived as a racial slur

rossie1977

August 17th, 2007, 03:15 PM

Awesome stadium on the outside, north end looks silly from the inside; the whole thing should be rotated 90 degrees.

Steel should be rising soon i guess. Probably as early as next month :banana:

CharlieP

August 17th, 2007, 07:27 PM

The stadium will not be rotated 90 degrees. Sadly, this seems a consequence of the houses to the north of the stadium. The North End of the current plan is little more than a bus shelter because of residents' opposition to the new stadium. Planning probably wouldn't have been given without this sacrifice at the North End, so rotating 90 degrees would be illogical; it would be a tiny bus shelter side, rather than a tiny bus shelter end, which is about the only thing that could be worse than the current design.

But, if the stadium was shifted to make better use of the available footprint, it wouldn't be as close to those houses... Oh, sod it.

NeilF

August 31st, 2007, 05:42 PM

In a way, I agree, but I wonder if the potential capacity would increase, or decrease from such a move? And, perhaps more importantly for the planners, as well as the IRFU and FAI, what would the impact on corporate facilities be?

The stadium wouldn't have been given planning permission without some sort of 'compromise' on whatever was at the North End. Simply shifting the footprint of the stadium to the south wouldn't have been enough to remove the needed from a smaller side / end, because the shadow of the build would still impact on the homes of the residents.

I think the decision will have been made on what fitted most people into the stadium, or more cynically, what allowed for the most corporate facilities to be fitted into the stadium. The potential loss of those on a side for the gain of facilities on the short end, and the gain of maybe 5,000 seats could well not have been worth it. The North Side, even with the footprint rotated and shifted south (remember that there is no space for the shift to go south-east), would still come quite close to the houses, which could still have causes a loss of the entire upperdeck, and probably a lot of the corporate facilities and whatnot that will tuck in beneath the side stands. If it was a case of a complete bowl on all four sides from a rotation, I'm sure it would have been done. I think it's easy to forgte just how limited space on the site actually is, especially running from North to South.

Personally, I still feel it was totally the wrong decision to remain on such a limited site but that, having chosen to remain on it, they have then chosen to build the wrong stadium on the site.

New Pictures:

Aerial Photos

10th August 2007

http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O2385_(Small)_11354635.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O2387_(Small)_18821045.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O2392_(Small)_85292992.JPG

17th August 2007

http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O2540_(Small)_41026408.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O2550_(Small)_92197597.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O2553_(Small)_25112440.jpg
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O2548_(Small)_19167169.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O2393_(Small)_92501493.JPG

Ground Photos

13th August 2007

http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/DSCF7673_(Small)_48907648.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/DSCF7640_(Small)_(Small)_23622630.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/DSCF7642_(Small)_(Small)_01371182.jpg
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/DSCF7652_(Small)_41316119.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/DSCF7654_(Small)_81580541.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/DSCF7638_(Small)_(Small)_71523466.jpg

th0m

August 31st, 2007, 06:59 PM

G.C.

August 31st, 2007, 08:14 PM

Dallymount or Tolka like they did before they started playing at Landsdowne.

CharlieP

August 31st, 2007, 08:36 PM

This is what really gets me - there's a massive great rectangular site:

http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O2550_(Small)_92197597.JPG

Yet they're going to cram the new stadium into the old footprint, using only half the available area...

-james-

August 31st, 2007, 09:19 PM

Whoa that's a pretty nice documentation of the entire demolishing of Lansdowne. The new one looks amazing. So I'm assuming the national team allowed to play at Croke Park now, as a temporary measure? (where else'd they play?)

When they played Italy recently they used Ravenhill instead of Croke Park. Guess being a friendly they did not need the expense of such a big stadium.

EADGBE

September 1st, 2007, 09:28 AM

Also, it depends which National team you're talking about. Football or rugby. This being Ireland, there's a huge difference. For football, it's within the Republic, i.e. probably just Dublin venues. For rugby, the options include Northern Ireland, but also I'd say potentially more than just Dublin and Belfast.

It's quite a romantic notion that both teams could 'tour' the country, like the England football team did during the rebuild of Wembley. I'm sure international games in places like Cork, Limerick and Drogheda would be much welcomed but with capacities much lower even in the 'second strand' of venues, it would be a very costly exercise, whatever the PR benefits. The other option would be to involve provincial GAA venues, using Croke Park as a precedent, but to my knowledge, they almost entirely comprise standing and UEFA/FIFA regulations on standing would probably negate that idea too.

In theory, the availablility of the North possibly allows the IRFU more choice - although in reality, I'd guess that the lure of Croke Park would prove too strong for most fixtures of either team.

NeilF

September 2nd, 2007, 08:32 PM

So I'm assuming the national team allowed to play at Croke Park now, as a temporary measure? (where else'd they play?)

As EADGBE said, it depends on the definition of national team in Ireland - Ireland rugby is representative of the island and therefore, is in a position to select from stadia in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. The trouble being that, beyond Croke Park, the stadia in most developing counties puts Ireland's stadium infrastructure to shame - still reliant on wooden stands, banks of open terraces and whatnot. Really, there was no other option but Croke Park for a game of any magnatitude.

At a recent international rugby match, Ravenhill in Belfast was used. Traditionally, world cup warm up matches don't attract huge crowds, so smaller stadia can be used (Ravenhill has a capacity of 12,300, but had an extra 1,700 temporary seats added for the game). These games usually take place at Thomond Park in Limerick or the RDS in Dublin, however, like Lansdowne Road, both of these stadia are undergoing reconstruction work. If the three stadia available to the IRFU, Ravenhill was the most suitable - Donnybrook (7,000), the traditional home of Leinster Rugby, and Musgrave Park (8,000) in Cork have capacities considerable lower than Ravenhill and a lot lower scope for the installation of temporary seating.

The GAA stadia were unavailable to the IRFU for this game - Croke Park was excessive in size and, from what I understand, the repeal of the ban on foreign games being played related only to Croke Park, therefore, playing at smaller GAA stadia (most of which range in capacity from about 25,000 - 50,000, mostly standing), was out of the question.

Republic of Ireland soccer is a different matter and has little option at all but to play all games at Croke Park, as domestic stadia really aren't up to UEFA standards or can hold sufficient capacity - G.C. indicated Tolka Park and Dallymount Park:

Tolka Park - Dublin - 9700

http://www.kicknrush.com/Kicknrush/IMG/TolkaPark.jpg

Dallymount Park - Dublin - 8,000

http://www.groundhopping.de/bohsgr3.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/34/Jodi_stand.jpg

As you can see, these are stadia of no great quality or capacity.

This is what really gets me - there's a massive great rectangular site:

http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O2550_(Small)_92197597.JPG

Yet they're going to cram the new stadium into the old footprint, using only half the available area...

The trouble is that the rectangular site isn't as big as one may imagine - for example, the trough that can be seen circled in red here is part of the foundation footprint for the new East Stand - this does not indicate that there is enough room to rotate the pitch 90 degrees and to maintain a full bowl, the way I see it. Given the size of the new stadium footprint, shown between the two vertical blue lines on this picture, it seems that some sacrifice would need to be made if the pitch was rotated, at best. Even if there is enough room for the full bowl then the old problems with the houses at the North End become apparent again, because of the height of the roof. Personally, I'm not sure the footprint of the current plan would fit onto the site, from North to South, if the stadium was rotated.

Look at this picture and you'll see what I mean. The old footprint of the West Stand is guessable, and can be used to work out the length of the pitch. Using your own rough estimate of the width of the pitch on the site, given that length, you can see just how big the base of the new East and West and South stands will be. Given the new size of this footprint, when compared to the old one, it can be argued that the site is not big enough to accomodate a full bowl with a rotated pitch at all. Try to rotate that rough imprint 90 degrees on the site and see how well it fits into it, when the area to the South East is excluded. It doesn't, without sacrifice at the North Side, at best, the way I see it. On that "at best" basis, one must ask if more seats and hospitality would be gained from the rotation. Although, as I said, I don't think that the new stadium's design would fit North-South at all.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v46/nicolinadavidson/EastStandFoundationFootprint.jpg

Think of it another way - on three sides (North, South and West) the new stadium will be on the extremity of the site as it is - what one needs to ask is whether or not the footprint of the new stadium would fit if it was rotated. Knowing the site is used to extremity on three sides in the new stadium as it is, this point is quite simple at base level - is the combined distance of the width of the pitch, plus the depth of the new East and West stands in the proposed stadium greater than the length of the pitch, plus the depth of the new South and North stands in the proposed stadium? If so, then the two side stands and the width of the pitch are greater than the North to South area of the site. The more I look at it, the more this becomes my personal thinking. Given just how tiny the current proposal at the North End is, and accouting for the increased footprint of the new stadium, I think that the stadium, overall, will be wider than it is long. Indeed, I'm wondering, even if there hadn't been the opposition at the North End, would we still have seen a smaller end (or smaller ends with a more balanced look to the stadium, on the site? Perhaps 50,000 is the maximum that can be fitted into the site?

This picture, I think, indicates what I'm saying:

http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O9624_(Small)_92768016.JPG

As you can see, the old stadium footprint would just about fit in, north-south, if it was rotated by 90 degrees. The new footprint, as can be seen from the trough, therefore, probably wouldn't as the new footprint is much, much larger than the old footprint.

Again, none of that changes my opinion that, (1) it is the wrong site for the stadium, (2) given the choice of the wrong site, the wrong design has also been implemented, and, (3) given that €300,000,000+ is to be spent on the project, Irish rugby and soccer fans could expect a lot more from the new stadium.

CharlieP

September 5th, 2007, 09:23 PM

I've just done a little experiment in Google Earth. Twickenham's footprint is very roughly 250x200m, which is way too big for the "massive great rectangular site" I thought existed.

You're right - they really should have moved elsewhere.

Irish Blood English Heart

October 20th, 2007, 12:29 PM

Is that the grand canal on two sides? Any update on this, has construction started yet?

NeilF

October 22nd, 2007, 12:08 AM

It's not the Grand Canal - the Grand Canal sits entirely Westward of the Lansdowne Road site. I believe that it is the River Dodder that flows past the site. The outflow of the Dodder and Grand Canal into the Liffey are right beside each other, however.

From what I can see, there's little more than a bit of ground work and some work on the foundations for the platform that is to span the DART line.

New pictures:

4th October:

Ground Shots:

http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/DSCF0429_(Small)_00350023.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/DSCF0443_(Small)_61105517.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/DSCF0410_(Small)_77322283.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/DSCF0435_(Small)_44428953.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/DSCF0440_(Small)_64987187.JPG

Aerial shots:

http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O5584_(Small)_70100263.jpg
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O5589_(Small)_04894436.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O5596_(Small)_19169955.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O5590_(Small)_13617255.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O5587_(Small)_05378329.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O5595_(Small)_36216152.JPG

Construction Update (12/10/2007)

Ø Preparatory works for the temporary diversion of the Swan Culvert to facilitate the realignment of this culvert will continue this week. It is envisaged that the permanent works to the Culvert will commence in early November. Discussions with adjacent neighbours have commenced.
Ø Pile cap construction both sides of the rail corridor continues.
Ø Construction of the new rail underpass continues. This work is on target to be completed during the rail closure of the bank holiday weekend.
Ø Erection of rail corridor columns and beams is scheduled to commence next Monday night and continue for the next two weeks. These works will be completed during night-time rail possessions.

Ø Piling works continue over the remainder of the site and due to the good progress we have made one rig will be de-mobilised from the site next early week.
Ø Basement construction continues. We plan to complete a large basement slab pour on Thursday, 18th October 2007. Slab finishing works is weather dependant and this work may extend beyond the approved working hours subject to approval from Dublin City Council. If this should happen every effort will be made to minimize its impact.
Ø Removal of the trees along the eastern boundary was completed this week. The trees along the rail corridor in the north-west corner will be removed in the coming week.
Ø Preparatory works for the demolition of the eastern boundary wall have commenced. Demolition of this wall will commence in the next number of weeks with a view to erecting a temporary fence along the Dodder Walk

Construction Update (19/10/2007)

Ø The major activity scheduled for the coming week is the erection of the structure for the new covered way and rail underpass. These activities will involve the erection of precast concrete elements during night time possessions during next week and over the October bank holiday weekend.
Ø Pile cap and ground beam construction continues along the rail corridor on both the east and west sides. This work will be complete early in the coming week, all in time for the rail closure next week end.
Ø Casting of the new concrete underpass has been completed. This structure will be inserted beneath the rail lines during the rail closure over the October bank holiday weekend. Preparatory works for the jacking of this structure into position are currently in hand.
Ø The remaining Rail Corridor works carried over from the October bank holiday weekend closure will be completed during a series of night time rail possessions starting on Tuesday night 30th October 2007 and extending through to 10th November 2007. Works which will be completed during these possessions include erection of the final precast concrete elements of the podium over the new underpass, casting of the podium topping slab and the reinstatement of the final elements of the electrified rail system.
Ø Piling works will continue at the south end of the site over the next couple of weeks. There is now only one piling rig on site.
Ø East Stand Basement construction continues with the focus next week on wall pours. The next large slab pour is targeted for the week after the October bank holiday weekend.
Ø Construction of the underground car park in the eastern side of the site will proceed next week and will continue for the next number of months.
Ø Preparatory works for the demolition of the eastern boundary wall along the Dodder Walk are in hand and details are currently being finalised with DCC. It is intended to proceed with the erection of a temporary hoarding outside the existing boundary within the next couple of weeks or so. Once this temporary fence has been erected, we will proceed to demolish the existing boundary wall and fell the trees within the new boundary. This work will not require the Dodder Walk to be closed to the public;
Ø Underground drainage and services installations continue in both the new east and west stand areas.
Ø Preparatory works for the temporary diversion of the Swan Culvert continue and these are scheduled to be complete within the next week or so. We expect to start breaking into the Swan Culvert early in November with the actual diversion completed and the flow diverted through the site by the middle of November. This diversion will remain in place until February 08.

Charlie, glad to see you've come around to my way of thinking - the first of these aerial shots I think shows what I was trying to say about the current plan sitting on the extremity of the North, West and East sides of the site. It is a ludicrous place to attempt to build a self-contained stadium. Just how much smaller this stadium is than any of the others available for 6 Nations rugby is absurd, yet it appears now that the capacity is one of the limitations of remaining on this site, long before the residents started complaining.

michał_

October 24th, 2007, 03:17 PM

congrats on Lansdowne getting to the final voting for UEFA Cup final in 2011! Just as UEFa promised :)

cianobuckley

October 26th, 2007, 01:00 PM

had a drive down there the other day weird that its gone its been there as long as i remember....
I think we should clear this up its the training pitch at the lansdowne rugby club side of the ground that is being rotated 90degrees

NeilF

October 26th, 2007, 06:03 PM

Cian, one of the very early plans (circa 2001 - 2002 I think) involved rotating the pitch by 90 degrees but it obviously never came to fruition as the earliest renders that have been made public keep the current north-south alignment but shift the footprint of the stadium (or at least, shifts the pitch) a little to the east. I think this probably is to do with what I was saying earlier about there not being enough room on the site to run the pitch on an east-west axis.

http://irish.rugbynow.net/static/images/entries/2004_01_24_lansdowne.jpg

This render is one of the earlier ones and still shows the stadium on a north-south axis, just with a more balanced look about it, as both ends are smaller but still the same size as each other. Most of the debate in the more recent part of this thread was about whether or not there should have been a rotation of the pitch, rather than whether or not there would be.

That said, until just now, I'd never realised just how similiar the internal plans in this render and those in the current render must actually be, and I think it may well go some way to explaining what I was trying to say before. 50,000 is the upper limit of the site, even without resident opposition. The only problem caused by resident opposition to the stadium seems to be the unbalance look that comes from three tier stands on three sides and a one tier-stand on the other, as opposed to two three tier stands and two smaller stands either with one large tier or two smaller tiers, as seems to be shown on this render. In other words, there was never going to be room on this site for a full bowl of three tiers and that 50,000 was always the upper limit for the stadium on the D4 site. The only thing the residents have done is made the stadium look hideously unbalanced, they have not affected capacity as has been suggested by some. Even looking at this render, it seems to indicate that the stadium was always going to be much wider than it is long at the outer limits and that there was not sufficient room to run the pitch on an east-west axis.

Given that it now seems to me that the IRFU / FAI / Irish Government knew this serious flaw and limitation on the site long before the stadium even reached the planning stage, the decision to remain on this site seems even more absurd than before.

Also, correct me if I'm wrong - the last time I was at Lansdowne Road was in 1999 to watch Ulster win the Heineken Cup so my memory is a little hazy here - before redevelopment began was there not two pitches to the rear of the stadium, running east-west that are being replaced by one running north-south, or have I got this wrong?

CharlieP

October 26th, 2007, 08:54 PM

Also, correct me if I'm wrong - the last time I was at Lansdowne Road was in 1999 to watch Ulster win the Heineken Cup so my memory is a little hazy here - before redevelopment began was there not two pitches to the rear of the stadium, running east-west that are being replaced by one running north-south, or have I got this wrong?

I think so - though on Google Earth they're blurred out for some reason...?!

NeilF

October 30th, 2007, 02:34 PM

New Pictures: 30/10/2007

http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/DSC02447_(Medium)_91076709.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/DSC02502_(Medium)_88119012.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/DSC02491_(Medium)_60177210.JPG

NeilF

November 4th, 2007, 05:17 AM

Stadium Update: 02/11/2007

Ø The main elements of the new covered way over the railway were successfully erected during the three day rail closure last weekend. The new underbridge was also inserted beneath the railway.
Ø The final elements of podium construction will be completed over two possessions, tonight and tomorrow night, Saturday 3rd. November. The final section of concrete slab will be poured during this Saturday night’s possession.
Ø The series of night possessions previously scheduled for week commencing 5th of November have been rescheduled by Iarnrod Eireann to take place week commencing 12th November, total of five possessions. We will need to complete minor works of a non-intrusive nature during these possessions.
Ø The main piling works are on schedule to be completed in the next two weeks.
Ø East stand basement construction will entail large slab pours today and on Friday, 09th November. Slab finishing works may extend beyond normal working hours. This to a great degree will be determined by prevailing weather conditions. However, the finishing works are light duty and non-intrusive in nature. Exact details to be confirmed prior to works.
Ø Preparatory works for the demolition of the eastern boundary wall along the Dodder Walk complete and details have being finalised with DCC. We will proceed with erection of the temporary hoarding outside the exiting boundary within the next 10 days.
Ø Preparatory works for the temporary diversion of the Swan Culvert are complete. We intend to proceed with the final tie-ins to the existing culvert in the next 10 days. We are on target for the flow diversion through the site by mid-November.
Ø The Stadium Main Contractor, J Sisk & Sons Ltd, has now been appointed and has commenced mobilising to site.

New pictures:

Ground:

http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/DSCF0860_(Small)_27792356.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/DSCF0828_(Small)_83741191.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/DSCF0830_(Small)_49582492.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/DSCF0834_(Small)_55496247.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/DSCF0838_(Small)_50871828.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/DSCF0876_(Small)_52762787.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/DSCF1330_(Small)_23880188.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/DSCF1331_(Small)_31189755.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/DSCF1338_(Small)_92654465.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/DSCF1343_(Small)_16767400.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/DSCF1350_(Small)_87665600.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/DSCF1368_(Small)_49525342.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/DSCF1363_(Small)_85227914.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/DSCF1326_(Small)_52948494.jpg

Aerial

http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O7162_(Small)_90583337.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O7172_(Small)_91112519.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O7169_(Small)_15850320.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O7181_(Small)_88188085.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O7166_(Small)_80243095.JPG

Jim856796

December 16th, 2007, 06:10 AM

I don't think the Lansdowne Road project looks like a renovation.

Calvin W

December 16th, 2007, 11:48 AM

I don't think the Lansdowne Road project looks like a renovation.

Very observant!

If tearing down the old structure and rebuilding from ground up is a renovation then I'll be a monkey's uncle.:lol:

Red85

December 16th, 2007, 08:21 PM

it still is a fuckin shame....

:weird:

EADGBE

December 16th, 2007, 09:24 PM

Dubliners,

Any chance of some new site photos? Get yourselves over there for the open day in the New Year!

>4. Open Day:
An Open Day is planned to take place early in the New Year for the local community to view models and drawings of the New Stadium. We will advise everyone by means of the next newsletter & on the LRSDC website when a date has been confirmed.

GNU

December 17th, 2007, 12:19 PM

nice progress

NeilF

January 27th, 2008, 02:31 AM

I know that we already have a thread for the redevelopment of Lansdowne Road but with the building advancing quickly, I think it's about time we had a new one focusing on the constuction of the stadium, rather than how it will look.

Some recent photos:

Ground:

http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/Lansdowne_17-12-07_047_(Small)_23755307.jpg
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/Lansdowne_17-12-07_054_(Small)_38027592.jpg
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/Lansdowne_17-12-07_049_(Small)_11130193.jpg
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/Lansdowne_17-12-07_068_(Small)_57642067.jpg
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/Lansdowne_17-12-07_058_(Small)_75530481.jpg
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/Lansdowne_17-12-07_045_(Small)_82103794.jpg
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/Lansdowne_17-12-07_061_(Small)_46482882.jpg

Aerial:

http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/Lansdowne_17-12-07_037_(Small)_37532811.jpg
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/Lansdowne_17-12-07_041_(Small)_32118508.jpg
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/Lansdowne_17-12-07_040_(Small)_23953923.jpg

NeilF

May 27th, 2008, 04:18 PM

Stadium Update - 23rd May 2008:

1. Planning Permission:
Recently we have lodged an application in relation to planning permission for alterations to both the Lansdowne Rugby Club building (where we currently have our offices) and the proposed new Stadium Management building which it is proposed will move closer to the Lansdowne Rugby Club building. Both buildings are at the southern end of the stadium.

2. Temporary Structure:
In the last issue of the newsletter we mentioned a temporary structure which we set up on site at the back of Shelbourne Road. The purpose of this structure is to show how the cladding will look on the finished stadium. The temporary structure, which is a requirement of our planning permission, will be removed as soon as is feasible.

3. Pan Floating:
There is pan floating planned between 18.00hrs to 00.0hrs (midnight) on Monday 26th May, Thursday 29th May and Friday 30th May next week. If there is any further necessity for plan floating this will be put up on the website or if you have requested a call you will receive same.

4. Construction Update
· Swan culvert replacement works continue along the north boundary wall adjacent 47 O’Connell Gardens.
· The new north boundary wall is under way and is due to be complete mid June.
· Drainage installation in the North Stand Area continues moving westwards. This will require installation and removal of sheet piles on an intermittent basis through out this period for ground water management. This process is due to be complete in approximately four weeks.
· Concrete frame construction continues making good progress. The south stand now has a large part of its first floor poured - shortly a major achievement will be made when the first floor slab loop is completed from the east stand through to the west stand.
· The construction of a new concrete retaining wall against the existing railway wall will commence in the area west of the railway within the next week or so.
· A hoarding has been erected at number 70 Lansdowne Terraces. The hoarding has to be completed into the site yet, but when complete it will facilitate the replacement of the old stone Swan culvert here with a new pre-cast one. This work is due to commence within the next few weeks.

Note: Ground Floor = level 0, First Floor = level 1, Second Floor = level 2 and so on.

5. Out-of-Hours Traffic Movements
There are no planned out of hours traffic movements next week. If any out of hours movements arise these will be put up on the LRSDC website or if you have requested a phone call you will be phoned.

6. Visitors’ Centre:
A centre has been set up where it is possible to view some drawings, models and footage of works carried out on site to date. The opening hours to visitors are between Monday to Friday between 09.00-17.00 and Saturdays 09.00-13.00. The visitors’ centre is located just inside Gate number 7 on Lansdowne Road. To arrange to access the visitors’ centre, please call Reception on 01 2382300.

Ground Photos - 16th April 2008:

http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/DSCF6589_(Small)_15635347.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/DSCF6594_(Small)_95732589.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/DSCF6605_(Small)_92942711.JPG

Ground Photos - 13th May 2008:

http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/DSCF7439_(Small)_91520740.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/DSCF7449_(Small)_15544149.JPG

Aerial Photos - 14th May 2008:

http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O0551_(Small)_93832399.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O0553_(Small)_68241633.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O0559_(Small)_56121120.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O0556_(Small)_57429771.JPG

BeestonLad

May 27th, 2008, 07:15 PM

Ridiculous why theyve squeezed it in that way when they could have easily had a larger stadium if they rotated it 90 degrees

NeilF

May 27th, 2008, 07:33 PM

Archibald Leitch

May 27th, 2008, 08:00 PM

why didn't they build a bigger stadium somewhere else?

NeilF

May 27th, 2008, 08:03 PM

why didn't they build a bigger stadium somewhere else?

I think just about every single rugby fan in Ireland is asking this same question - with the proposals from Dublin Bay and the old docks surfacing at the moment, it would have been a logical time to move the stadium out that way. The Lansdowne Road site is in a leafy suburb in D4 and has considerable value as a brownfield site for residential development. The decision to stay on the site is a strange one, as far as I'm concerned.

en1044

May 27th, 2008, 10:15 PM

It looks like it will be a very impressive stadium...congrats to Dublin, its a gem.

Now only if they would replace FedEx Field...that would be a good day

NeilF

June 19th, 2008, 11:43 AM

Construction Update 06.06.2008

· In the next week or so we will complete exploratory works on the Dodder Walk in the immediate area of the existing Swan Culvert crossing to the river Dodder. This will mainly comprise narrow slit trenches to confirm existing conditions. The area of trenching will be behind a hoarding. The existing footpath will be diverted using a hard core surface, so maintaining public access through this amenity. It will take about a week to complete this work.
· Works to complete the installation of the new Swan Culvert sections from the site boundary across the Dodder walk to the new outfall into the Dodder river will start w/c 7th July. The area of the works will again be behind a hoarding. There will be no public access through the Dodder walk for approximately 2 months starting on 7th July.
· Construction of the north boundary wall continues and we remain on target to complete it within the next 2 weeks.
· We will need to occasionally use the access from Lansdowne Lane to the west side of the railway for works that are scheduled to start in the next week or so. Use of this access will be kept to a minimum.
· There is rail related possession works scheduled to take place between 22.00hrs on Sunday, 15th June and 06.00hrs on Monday 16th June. The work involves extending the existing isolation screens to the railway. It is light duty type work.
· Progress on the construction of the main stadium structure continues satisfactorily.

New Images:

Ground: 13.06.2008

http://www.lrsdc.ie/gallery/singlecategory.asp?PCID=86#
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/DSCF8290_(Small)_97784595.JPG

Aerial: 13.06.2008

http://www.lrsdc.ie/gallery/singlecategory.asp?PCID=85

wearethefuture

June 22nd, 2008, 01:46 AM

This stadium is looking really small at the moment for a 50,000 cap.! I guess some do while in construction, this stadium is going to be stunning!

bing222

June 23rd, 2008, 07:04 AM

Great progress

NeilF

July 23rd, 2008, 02:10 AM

Update (18th July 2008):

18th July 2008

The schedule up to and including Friday, 1st August is set out below.

1. Pan Floating:
There is pan floating planned between 18.00hrs to 00.00hrs (midnight) on Wednesday 23rd, Thursday 24th and Friday 25th July. If there is any further necessity for pan floating this will be put up on the website or if you have requested a call you will receive same.

2. Construction Update:
Works to complete the installation of the new Swan Culvert sections from the site boundary to the new outfall into the Dodder are in progress. The area of the works is hoarded off and there will be no public access through the Dodder Walk until further notice. Public notices informing of the closure are erected in the local area. As these works will include work on a live combined sewer (R&P) it is necessary that they be undertaken as quickly as possible in dry weather conditions. To achieve this, the following out of hours works will be required:

· 18.00hrs to 22.00hrs Monday 21st July 2008;
· 18.00hrs to 22.00hrs Tuesday 22nd July 2008;
· 18.00hrs to 22.00hrs Wednesday 23rd July 2008;

As the works are highly weather dependent this schedule may change at short notice. Any change to this schedule will be notified via the LRSDC website. Furthermore, these works will involve the temporary installation of sheet piles in the River Dodder to construct a cofferdam. As this can be a noisy activity it will only be carried out between 09.00 and 17.00 hrs. This work is scheduled to commence on Monday 28th July.

Landscaping of gardens in Havelock Square is complete.

Progress on the construction of the main stadium structure continues satisfactorily. Erection of the main structural steel elements commence this week. This will continue for the next number of months.

The site will not be working on Saturday 26 July 2008 or Saturday 2 August 2008

Lansdowne Road Stadium over budget by €101 million

The redevelopment of Lansdowne Road to a 50,000 seater stadium is currently forecasting an over run on the budget of €101 million which is 28% over the original price of €365M.

The new cost is shown at €466M including VAT, the stadium is due to open in mid 2010, two years away, and it is on target according to the stadium Director Martin Murphy. (The Government grant is capped at €191M)

The new costings have been confirmed to the Minister Martin Cullen since he took office in May 2008.

What is not clear is who is going to pay for the excess costs. Is it a three way split? Government/IRFU/FAI. (The VAT on €466M at 21%? is estimated to be €81M), even though the Government grant is capped at €191?

As of the end of April this year €84.5 million had been drawn down for the project

The original budget of €85M for the IRFU is short just €11M, as of the AGM in June 2008, and they are very confident of raising the balance. The IRFU is forecasting a profit each year after the breakeven for this year (at the 30 April 2008).

The FAI story is not so rosy, they have not indicated how much is in the kitty and it is known that they have been turned down by International corporate money raisers IMG at least twice – they refuse to participate in the stadium project for the FAI.

They are reported to have confirmed to the Government “they are on target” to meet their commitments, in spite of the rumours to the contrary.

Image Updates:

Ground Photos (11th July 2008):

http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/DSCF0296_(Small)_27942476.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/DSCF0302_(Small)_36130968.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/DSCF0303_(Small)_65967540.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/DSCF0305_(Small)_68552363.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/DSCF0308_(Small)_85601891.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/DSCF0311_(Small)_97128350.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/DSCF0290_(Small)_54411757.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/DSCF0295_(Small)_97093568.JPG

Aerial Photos (16th July 2008):

http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O9156_(Small)_05875542.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O9158_(Small)_37958082.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O9155_(Small)_87440380.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O9159_(Small)_24832079.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O9160_(Small)_19733022.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O9165_(Small)_75188632.JPG

KiwiBrit

July 23rd, 2008, 03:05 AM

She's looking good NeilF

bing222

July 23rd, 2008, 08:00 AM

any webcams

HoldenV8

July 23rd, 2008, 10:46 AM

I still think that 50,000 will be too small. Think small, you get small.

EADGBE

July 24th, 2008, 12:59 AM

I wonder if leaving Croke to go back will underline how unambitious it is. 82k - 50k is a sharp drop,

NeilF

July 24th, 2008, 02:37 AM

Really, I think it's going to be a matter of how much money is made, per game, for the IRFU and FAI. I don't think the IRFU will particularly care about attendance if they're making more money at Lansdowne Road. It's bad for fans who go to games, or want to go to games but if the IRFU is making more money, which with the profits from 100+ corporate boxes filtering in, not to mention not having to pay the GAA a rental for the use of Páirc an Chrócaigh, I'm sure they are, then the smaller stadium is better for the game in Ireland, given the funding structure of the provinces.

As an average Ireland fan (and one living in Scotland and thus, with no involvement with the club game in Ireland) I lose nothing by the move. Those who will lose out are the extra 25,000 - 32,000 (depending on configuration) who are involved with club rugby in Ireland that will lose out as a result. This, bizarrely, will also not affect a majority of the fans that turn out at Donnybrook, Musgrave Park, Ravenhill, RDS, The Sports Ground or Thomond Park on a week-to-week basis either, as many who support the professional game have no ties, or reason for ties, to Ireland's rugby clubs.

New Lansdowne Road is a very flawed stadium and I fear the decision to remain at the Lansdowne Road site hints at the professional naivety of the IRFU on a comparable level to the professional naivety of the SRU, who redeveloped Murrayfield far too soon and far too quickly after professionalisation are are suffering the according financial difficulties now. That said, ceteris paribus, 65,000 - 70,000 seats in the old Dublin docks still makes more than 50,000 at the current site, especially given the value of 50,000 odd square metres of brownfield in D4 and by the banks of the Dodder. It's a poor decision but the overall deal of New Lansdowne Road is likely to be better than that from Croke Park, even if it's not great for fans and probably not the optimal solution. As it is, the amateurish focus on history from the IRFU aside, NLR is likely to be a better deal for the IRFU and does not, in itself, lack ambition in anything other than original decision making.

NeilF

August 22nd, 2008, 11:24 AM

Stadium Update - 15th August 2008

The schedule up to and including Friday, 29th August is set out below.

1. Pan Floating:
There is pan floating planned between 18.00hrs to 00.00hrs (midnight) on Wednesday 20th, Thursday 21st and Friday 22nd August.

2. Construction Update:
Works to complete the installation of the new Swan Culvert sections from the site boundary to the new outfall into the Dodder will continue for the next number of months. Construction of the coffer dam in the Dodder is complete and the permanent works are underway.

Works on reinstating the Northern Boundary along No 18 to No 16 Havelock Square will continue during this period.

Work on the construction of the main stadium structure continues satisfactorily. Erection of the main structural steel elements resumed and this will continue for the next number of months.

Images: 14th August 2008

Ground Shots:

http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/DSCF8817_(Small)_18308594.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/DSCF8819_(Small)_95878168.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/DSCF8813_(Small)_35121405.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/DSCF8824_(Small)_76706336.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/DSCF8825_(Small)_41181789.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/DSCF8828_(Small)_93703735.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/DSCF8810_(Small)_32142952.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/DSCF8811_(Small)_26835023.JPG

Aerial Shots:

http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O0484_(Small)_88899261.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O0488_(Small)_47770837.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O0493_(Small)_55036226.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O0485_(Small)_35645955.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O0489_(Small)_05985211.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O0491_(Small)_63813228.JPG

EPA001

August 22nd, 2008, 12:32 PM

Very nice update! They are really making some progress here!

CharlieP

August 22nd, 2008, 02:28 PM

Beeston, Charlie P and I went through this earlier in the thread - a 90 degree rotation would be impossible in the site. The entire north-south axis of the site is about 180m. The whole playing surface will be in the region of 80m wide. The old east and west stands have a combined width of about 70 metres, so with the old stadium footprint, we're talking about a stadium that was 30 metres less wide than the north-south axis of the new stadium. Obviously, the figures don't add up, given the much larger footprint of the new stadium, especially the new east and west stands:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v46/nicolinadavidson/EastStandFoundationFootprint.jpg

Looking at this picture, we can see the new stadium footprint, as shown by the blue lines, is actually wider than it is long. The red circled area is the basement foundations of the east stand, just to further indicate this. Given that the stadium sits on the extremities of the site on the North, South and West sides, a realignment by 90 degrees would mean that the stadium wouldn't fit on the site.

All of this is totally ignoring the problems raised by the residents in the houses behind the North end of the ground, which explains why the stadium is so unbalanced, with such a small north end. A small side would take more out of capacity than a small end.

It's also worth pointing out that an "ideal" stadium is actually wider at the sides than at the ends. If you don't want any seat to be more than 150 m from any point on a 100 x 70 m pitch, the half-way line seats can go back 106.42 m[1] from the centre spot, but the seats in the middle of the goal posts can only go back 95.86 m[2] from the centre spot...

[1] sqrt (150^2 - 50^2) - 35

[2] sqrt (150^2 - 35^2) - 50

EDIT: This obviously works a lot better visually, but I don't have the skills or patience. If you draw a 100 x 70 rectangle, and put a circle radius 150 on each corner, the area where every circle overlaps is the area in which a seat will be within range.

Iain1974

August 22nd, 2008, 10:07 PM

So what's the ideal angle of elevation for stands?

If anyone can whip up a 3D pic we'd all be grateful.

bazos

September 25th, 2008, 04:19 PM

Heres an interesting link:

http://www.erm.com/ERM/Website.nsf/GFN/Lansdowne%20Road%20EIS%20addendum.pdf/$file/Lansdowne%20Road%20EIS%20addendum.pdf
(if it doesnt go directly to the pdf article scroll down to the bottom to the Lansdowne Road EIS Addendum link)

There was 4 options for the new stadium, one of those being a 90 degree switch of axis, which there is plenty of room to do so if you look at the archictects plans. This would have been a much nicer and balanced stadium but would never get the go ahead because of residents..who have recieved around 100k each compensation anyway! We should have built this proper stadium if they recieved that much. Also the argument for the east west orientation is flawed because wembley is east west, and a back pitch could have been found elsewhere.

Anyway were stuck with what we have which might not be too bad. If you look at the plans zoom in and measure the north end and compare it with say the bottom tier on the rest of the stadium. I dont think its as small as the artists pictures make it out to be. Look at the plans of the top tier of the south stand compared to the artists photos, they look quite different. Also the columns being built at the north end in the latest stadium photos are quite high. Well i hope im right anyway because if it turns out like the way it looks in the artists photos its a joke. The first thing people will say when in the stadium will be "whats up with that end?" Just like croker.

If i had the choice i would have put much steeper rake on the north end within the roof thats there to create a kind of kop, like in the new liverpool stadium plans. Teams would be intimidated playing towards that end whereas now they will probably look forward to shooting into that end also considering thats usually where the FAI put the away fans!

Theres also many more interesting articles and photos at this link:

http://www.erm.com/ERM/Loc/erm_ireland.NSF/(Page_Name_Web)/LansdowneRoadEIS_RedevelopmentofLansdowneRoadStadiumEnvironmentalImpactAssessment_new

NeilF

September 26th, 2008, 12:12 AM

Bazos, the link you provide offers some interesting information indeed - many thanks. The trouble with the East-West orientation is partly discussed in this paper - the extra length and / or height of the North Stand will cast shadows further onto O'Connell Gardens and Havelock Square and, perhaps even further, onto the likes of Vavasour Square and any increased height could also cast onto places as far away as Bath Avenue.

Ultimately, the shift to an East-West axis doesn't address the real issue with this stadium and that is the capacity. The site can only hold 50,000 in almost any configuration, so we're discussing basically the optimal design of the stadium - I think the North-South axis fits that bill in everything, other than aesthetics. The maintenance of the back pitch and the configuration of the stands is significantly better, for example.

NeilF

September 26th, 2008, 04:03 PM

Stadium Update - 12/09/2008:

The schedule up to and including Friday, 26th September is set out below.

1. Pan Floating:
There is pan floating planned between 18.00hrs to 00.00hrs (midnight) on Wednesday 17th, Thursday 18th and Friday 19th September.

2. Construction Update:
Due to ongoing railway interface works and time restrictions placed on the works by Irish Rail there will be a series of night time works commencing from the evening of Monday 22nd September 2008. This period will last until Saturday 04th October 2008. There will be one night work event on the night of the 18th/19th October 2008.

Works to complete the installation of the new Swan Culvert sections from the site boundary to the new outfall into the Dodder will continue for the next number of months. The Dodder Walk will remain closed.
Works on reinstating the Northern Boundary along No 18 to No 16 Havelock Square will continue during this period.

Work on the construction of the main stadium structure continues satisfactorily.

Ground Images - 16/09/2008:

http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/IMG_7428_(Small)_31892081.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/IMG_7435_(Small)_83809814.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/IMG_7441_(Small)_90007365.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/IMG_7442_(Small)_50135796.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/IMG_7439_(Small)_61537126.JPG

Aerial Images - 13/09/2008:

http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O1656_(Small)_45572150.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O1657_(Small)_82110489.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O1664_(Small)_52436035.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O1663_(Small)_30763006.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O1666_(Small)_01012096.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O1667_(Small)_54010200.JPG

krudmonk

September 27th, 2008, 02:33 AM

Wow, with this and the stadium in Llanelli, the Celtic League is going to be pretty big.

NeilF

September 27th, 2008, 04:51 AM

Parc Y Scarlets really isn't that big. It only has a capacity of 14,340. Ospreys, Edinburgh and Leinster already have larger stadia, while Munster and Cardiff will also have larger stadia in the future - Munster in the very near future when the 26,000 capacity Thomond Park opens. Leinster probably won't be using Lansdowne Road for much - their current home, the RDS, has a capacity of 18,500 which is about right for anything other than HC knock out games and the interprovincials against Ulster and Munster.

CharlieP

September 27th, 2008, 11:28 AM

Have Leinster permanently left Donnybrook (which you can see in the top right of the first aerial photo above) then?

NeilF

September 27th, 2008, 10:28 PM

It would seem to be that way. At least for competitive games, all matches this season are due to be played at the RDS. Leinster sold more seasons tickets this season than the capacity of Donnybrook, so it makes no sense for them to go back there to play competitive rugby. They did play a preseason friendly at Donnybrook but that's about it. As far as I'm aware, Donnybrook will be maintained for the use of the other functions of the Leinster Branch, such as club and schools finals, etc.

krudmonk

September 27th, 2008, 10:59 PM

So once Munster have the newly revamped Thomond Park, will they cease to play games in Cork? I know that Limerick is the heart of rugby union in the province and probably all of Ireland, right? It's not like that would be a bad choice.

NeilF

September 28th, 2008, 04:01 AM

Munster will continue to play Magners League games in both Cork and Limerick. The redeveloped Thomond Park officially opens next Saturday (4th October) when Munster play Glasgow Warriors. After the fourth of October, Munster will play four more Magners League games at Thomond Park - the three interprovincial games, which generally attract larger than average crowds and against the Ospreys, who attract larger crowds because of the quality of their team and rugby. In the same time, Munster will play two games at Musgrave Park - against Edinburgh and Llanelli Scarlets. I would imagine that this kind of split will continue - interprovincials and the Ospreys at Thomond Park, with Glasgow, Edinburgh, Scarlets, Dragons and Cardiff visiting Musgrave Park.

That said, Musgrave Park is also due to undergo redevelopment at some point in the near future, although time lines and plans are not yet forthcoming. The mooted redevelopment is for a 17,000 all seated stadium on the site. During this time, I think all Munster games will move to Thomond Park but, as before, there will be a split between the two grounds once renovations there are completed.

As before, all Heineken Cup games will take place in Limerick.

NeilF

October 23rd, 2008, 06:14 AM

STADIUM UPDATE: 10th October 2008

The schedule up to and including Friday, 24th October is set out below.

1. Pan Floating:
There is pan floating planned between 18.00hrs to 00.00hrs (midnight) on Tuesday 14th October, Thursday 16th October and Friday 17th October.

2. Construction Update:
There will be one night work event due to essential works on/around the railway on the night of the 18th/19th October 2008 from 21:00Hrs to 08:00Hrs, as advised on previous update.

Works to complete the installation of the new Swan Culvert sections from the site boundary to the new outfall into the Dodder will be complete in the next week or so. Works on the R+P Sewer have commenced and will continue for the next number of months into early 2009.
Works on reinstating the Northern Boundary along No 19 to No 16 Havelock Square continues during this period. Works on reinstating the Northern Boundary along No 50 to No 47 O’Connell Gardens commence during this period and will be on going for the next month or so.

Work on the construction of the main stadium structure continues satisfactorily. By the end of this month the in-situ reinforced concrete structure will be complete for the east, south and west stands. Installation of glazing has also commenced.

New Images:

Aerial Images - 16th October 2008

http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O2911_(Small)_29434436.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O2912_(Small)_20753875.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O2914_(Small)_36255428.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O2916_(Small)_95987877.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O2919_(Small)_87835292.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O2913_(Small)_52428838.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O2915_(Small)_23529886.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O2918_(Small)_21190180.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O2921_(Small)_45727152.JPG

Ground Images - 20th October 2008

http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/IMG_9960_(Small)_39163905.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/IMG_9968_(Small)_96006893.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/IMG_9951_(Small)_27275893.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/IMG_9955_(Small)_79595572.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/IMG_9961_(Small)_02957392.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/IMG_9949_(Small)_51637161.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/IMG_9964_(Small)_29644261.JPG

Looking at these pictures, it seems that the overhang of the second tier over the first won't be as pronounced as it looks in the renders. It also seems that the North End of the stadium is going to be even smaller than it looked in the renders. As this stadium takes shape, I think it's going to become more and more apparent just how poorly designed the North End is. I guess we'll see more when the lower tier takes its shape.

bing222

October 23rd, 2008, 10:06 AM

Nice photos!!!

Durbsboi

October 23rd, 2008, 10:21 AM

work really progressing well here hey!

Arist

October 23rd, 2008, 08:13 PM

This place is going to look amazing

Tom Hughes

October 25th, 2008, 04:52 PM

What is the total cost for this stadium?

NeilF

October 25th, 2008, 05:11 PM

What is the total cost for this stadium?

According to the Irish Times on the 30th June 2008, total cost is currently budgeted at being €466 million. The original budget was for €365 million.

HoldenV8

October 25th, 2008, 05:32 PM

Brilliant photo's. Pity though, the new stadium deserved a bigger capacity.

Does anyone know if there is much room for increasing the capacity in the future?

NeilF

October 25th, 2008, 06:31 PM

In short - no. At best, it would be incredibly difficult. The stadium sits on the extremity of the site on the North, West and South boundaries, so the only available space for expansion is to the East. There will be a practise pitch to the East of the new stadium, which is a part of an agreement between the IRFU / FAI and the Lansdowne RFC and Wanderers RFC clubs. Both of these clubs lost their clubhouses (the cottages at either side of the West Stand of the old stadium) in the redevelopment and only agreed to the redevelopment so long as a practise pitch was retained on the site. The current planned pitch is actually smaller than regulation as it is, so I cannot see either of those clubs allowing further encroachment by the main bulk of the stadium. Below this practise pitch will be a rather expensive underground car park, so even if the pitch problem could be overcome, there would likely be various foundation problems. On top of that, the East Stand is already going to have three tiers and a semi-circular upper tier, so it doesn't lend itself easily to expansion.

There are massive planning restrictions on this site as it is - mainly to do with poor egress and the shadows cast onto residential properties to the South of the stadium. With the added architectural difficulties, due to the size and shape of the current East Stand, the situation of the stadium footprint on the site, not to mention the various agreements in place about what the site needs to contain, any future expansion is next to impossible in theory and, certainly, prohibitively costly to implement in reality. 50,000 is basically the capacity limit of this site, regardless of the configuration of the stands.

wellred

October 25th, 2008, 09:27 PM

Hi all, my first ever post.

I think this is a beautiful stadium, does not need making bigger and should cover most games for capacity. I love Wembley but isnt as intimate as this and i always love something (the small end) which is different rather than a copy of all the other sides.

Tom Hughes

October 26th, 2008, 03:37 PM

According to the Irish Times on the 30th June 2008, total cost is currently budgeted at being €466 million. The original budget was for €365 million.

Cheers Neil,
That seems very expensive.... approx 9,000 Euros per seat. What has been the main contributor to that cost do you know? I can understand it is a problematic site and there is a lot of complexity in the structure, but it dwarfs the expense of the much bigger croke park, which was equally troublesome site-wise. Like the design, but think the small end is a bit of a token gesture. Are they sinking the pitch to reduce shading effects?

Apologies if already covered in the thread.

NeilF

October 26th, 2008, 04:39 PM

As far as I know, the stadium is being financed mostly by the Irish Government and the IRFU. I know that the Irish Government contribution is capped at €191 million and I think the IRFU are due to contribute up to €85 million. Exactly how much is being contributed by the FAI, I don't know. The rest, I think is made up by debenture sales for corporate boxes and whatnot. These costings are based on the original projection of costs of €365 million. Where the extra €101 million is going to come from now, I don't know?

You have to remember that the redevelopment of Croke Park cost €260m, essentially for about 69,000 seats and 14,000 uncovered terrace spaces. Really, given that the redevelopment of Croker started in in the early-90s, when steel and concrete were much cheaper, and the fact that there are only 19,000 more seats, the difference in cost shouldn't be quite as striking as it initially appears.

Marcelo Victor

October 28th, 2008, 01:07 AM

cool, impressive. it has to envy:lol:

bazos

November 4th, 2008, 11:52 PM

http://www.faivantageclub.com/virtual-tour.htm

This is a new video of the stadium. The north end is tiny, bit of a joke really but the rest of the stadium looks stunning especially the outside. I think with the roof enclosed on the north end it should hold in the atmosphere but it really is a pity its so small. Equal sizes on north and south would have looked better but it should turn out to be quite a unique stadium.

koolio

November 5th, 2008, 01:58 AM

Looks like an amazing stadium ... can't wait to see the finished project!

NeilF

December 7th, 2008, 08:58 PM

I was in Dublin a couple of weekends back for the Ireland v Argentina rugby game. I had some spare time on the Friday morning and headed out to get a look at the construction.

Construction is moving from the North to the South. The terracing for the upper tiers is already in place at the North end of the East and West stands and some of the glass on the outside has already been installed.

I could only see the inside of the stadium from the works access entrance but it seems that the installation of the terracing of the first tier is yet to begin.

Here's a few photos I took:

http://i363.photobucket.com/albums/oo71/anthropocene/Dublin002.jpg
http://i363.photobucket.com/albums/oo71/anthropocene/Dublin003.jpg
http://i363.photobucket.com/albums/oo71/anthropocene/Dublin005.jpg
http://i363.photobucket.com/albums/oo71/anthropocene/Dublin008.jpg
http://i363.photobucket.com/albums/oo71/anthropocene/Dublin009.jpg
http://i363.photobucket.com/albums/oo71/anthropocene/Dublin015.jpg
http://i363.photobucket.com/albums/oo71/anthropocene/Dublin019.jpg
http://i363.photobucket.com/albums/oo71/anthropocene/Dublin022.jpg
http://i363.photobucket.com/albums/oo71/anthropocene/Dublin031.jpg
http://i363.photobucket.com/albums/oo71/anthropocene/Dublin032.jpg
http://i363.photobucket.com/albums/oo71/anthropocene/Dublin033.jpg
http://i363.photobucket.com/albums/oo71/anthropocene/Dublin034.jpg
http://i363.photobucket.com/albums/oo71/anthropocene/Dublin035.jpg
http://i363.photobucket.com/albums/oo71/anthropocene/Dublin038.jpg
http://i363.photobucket.com/albums/oo71/anthropocene/Dublin049-1.jpg

NeilF

December 24th, 2008, 03:58 AM

New Pictures:

Aerial Photos - 11/11/2008:

http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O3605_(Small)_11054024.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O3597_(Small)_27389666.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O3598_(Small)_09840973.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O3600_(Small)_16233776.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O3603_(Small)_50525836.JPG

Ground Photos - 13/11/2008:

http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/WY4Q2798_(Small)_40695008.jpg
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/WY4Q2796_(Small)_36320809.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/WY4Q2803_(Small)_79705985.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/WY4Q2813_(Small)_97087312.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/WY4Q2791_(Small)_07679668.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/WY4Q2809_(Small)_93910905.JPG

Aerial Photos - 17/12/2008:

http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O4809_(Small)_92813148.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O4810_(Small)_49293155.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O4814_(Small)_39217047.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O4818_(Small)_47180449.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O4821_(Small)_58848384.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O4811_(Small)_01413999.JPG

Stadium Progress - June 2007 - October 2008 [PDF]:

http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/File/Progress.pdf

NeilF

January 16th, 2009, 11:00 PM

Seems that interest has tailed off a little; understandable, really - it's progressing but not a lot has changed until this past week when the steel trusses for the roof started going on.

New Images:

10th January 2009:

http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/CimolaiLift100109_004_(3)_(Small)_93783485.jpg
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/IMG_9091_(Small)_50605230.JPGp
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/IMG_9093_(Small)_11244453.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/IMG_9101_(Small)_61458607.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/IMG_9102_(Small)_86364964.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/IMG_9118_(Small)_30601768.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/IMG_9164_(Small)_77714623.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/IMG_9089_(Small)_79621738.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/IMG_9100_(Small)_48043226.JPG

13th January 2009:

http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O5069_(Small)_49210509.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O5070_(Small)_95970952.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O5074_(Small)_36291684.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O5072_(Small)_30812131.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O5077_(Small)_05606644.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O5068_(Small)_30100542.jpg

shacky

January 17th, 2009, 10:39 AM

now that the first tier is being built,the feild looks very wide?

IcyUrmel

January 17th, 2009, 11:08 AM

Whow. After having had a look at the last 12 pages of this pdf file (http://www.erm.com/ERM/website.nsf/GFN/Annex%20L%20complete.pdf/$file/Annex%20L%20complete.pdf), (don't panic - just pictures, easy and quick to "read"), everybody will understand the very difficult challenges they had to face when designing this stadium. And everybody will have to agree that this unbalanced look with the very small north end propably was the best option possible.

Good job, Ireland, a beautiful and absolutely unique stadium.

NeilF

January 27th, 2009, 03:15 AM

Lansdowne to be renamed Aviva in €40m deal

Lansdowne Road is to be called the Aviva Stadium after the company secured the naming rights in an estimated €40m deal, it has been reported.

Insurer Aviva is thought to have won the race ahead of several other competitors to name the 50,000 all-seater stadium.

The deal is expected to last for about 10 years but could allow for a five-year extension.

The sale of the naming rights was handled for the Lansdowne Road Stadium Development Company by the Dublin firm Slattery Communications and the US Wasserman Media Group.

Wasserman put together the deal for Arsenal's Emirates Stadium in London, which incorporated a shirt sponsorship deal.

The Lansdowne rights sale originally attracted interest from up to 20 companies, including Allied Irish Banks, who ceased to be competitors as the financial crisis deepened.

Aviva has been involved in a marketing campaign since taking over Hibernian. It is now trading as Hibernian Aviva but it is planned to drop the Hibernian name completely.

The naming rights were sold jointly by the IRFU and the FAI, which are thought to be seeking a hefty €50m to €100m from interested parties.

The new 50,000 all-seater Lansdowne is due to be completed in April 2010. The Ballsbridge venue is on a shortlist to host the prestigious Uefa Cup Final in either 2011 or 2012.

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/lansdowne-to-be-renamed-aviva-in-euro40m-deal-14157138.html

bing222

January 27th, 2009, 05:06 AM

great photos

Carrerra

January 27th, 2009, 01:52 PM

Which club will use the stadium after completion?

DaveyCakes

January 27th, 2009, 05:23 PM

It'll be used by the Irish international rugby and soccer teams and for club finals in both sports. Maybe an occasional club fixture (Leinster rugby most likely), but no regular club use.

Carrerra

January 27th, 2009, 05:38 PM

What exactly do you mean by "club final in rugby"? Is there a kind of FA cup final which should be held in a neutral place in rugby in your country?

Bobby3

January 27th, 2009, 08:37 PM

Would Bohs use it if they manage to make the Champions League proper? Or does their ground meet the guidelines?

DaveyCakes

January 29th, 2009, 11:31 PM

Boh would use Lansdowne for Champions league. Shelbourne played their qualifier (3rd round?) against Deportivo La Coruna there a few years ago. Unfortunately, I don't think that Champions league will be an issue for any Irish teams anytime soon.

The finals of a number of rugby competitions, even for schools and colleges, were played at the old Lansdowne, so I assume they be played in the new one.

As will the 2010-11 Europa League final.

NeilF

January 30th, 2009, 02:22 AM

Lansdowne Road to host Uefa final

The redeveloped Lansdowne Road stadium in Dublin is to host the final of the Uefa Europa League, presently known as the Uefa Cup, in 2011.

The new stadium is on target for completion by 2010 and the Football Association of Ireland and Dublin City Council successfully bid for the final.

"This is a significant coup for our new stadium and for Ireland," said John Delaney, Chief Executive of the FAI.

"The final will cement the reputation of the stadium with a global audience."

The bid was made possible thanks to the new stadium which has received a Government funding contribution of 191m euros and is being built by the FAI and the IRFU.

Uefa chose Dublin's bid after a highly competitive selection process lasting more than a year.

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/irish/7859156.stm

NeilF

February 12th, 2009, 06:20 PM

New Render:

http://www.irishrugby.ie/images/news/Landmark-interior-branded-r.jpg

Ground Photos - 7th February 2009

http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/IMG_0273_(Small)_46967198.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/IMG_0276_(Small)_73739183.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/IMG_0277_(Small)_98999399.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/IMG_0289_(Small)_62011019.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/IMG_0264_(Small)_74936030.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/IMG_0275_(Small)_26567464.jpg

Aerial Photos - 10th February 2009

http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O5455_36283990.jpg
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O5460_27021118.jpg
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O5456_89039784.jpg
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O5463_43421031.jpg
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O5459_85347792.jpg
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O5467_20516989.jpg

Jim856796

February 13th, 2009, 01:08 PM

Why is the New Lansdowne Road Stadium referred to as Aviva stadium? Naming rights purposes?

NeilF

February 13th, 2009, 01:42 PM

Yep. Aviva are giving the IRFU / FAI €40m to stick a few signs around the place. Seems like a good deal to me.

See www.avivastadium.ie for more information.

The rebuilt Lansdowne Road will be called the Aviva Stadium following a deal reported to be worth 40 million Euros to Irish rugby and football.

The 50,000-seat venue in Dublin is to reopen in April 2010 and host the Uefa Europa League final the following year.

During the rebuilding, the Irish rugby side and the Republic of Ireland football team have played their matches at the GAA's Croke Park ground.

The deal with insurance firm Hibernian Aviva is to run for 10 years.

"We believe that in the difficult economic conditions we are going through, Aviva Stadium will be of huge benefit to the economy as a whole," said Philip Browne, chairman of Lansdowne Road Stadium Development Company and chief executive of the Irish Rugby Football Union.

"Even taking the most conservative view, I do not think it would be exaggerating to say that Aviva Stadium could have an impact of some 250 million Euros on the local economy each year."

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/irish/7886499.stm

The Aviva Stadium has been unveiled. The IRFU and FAI are confident that in Aviva Stadium they have a model that will sustain both of their sports well into the future.

The deal sees Hibernian Aviva take on the naming rights of the redeveloped Lansdowne Road for a ten-year period and provide investment support to the IRFU and FAI for their grassroots programmes.

Details of the sponsorship were unveiled today (Thursday) at a function in Dublin.

In making the announcement, Philip Browne, Chairman of the Lansdowne Road Stadium Development Company and Chief Executive of the Irish Rugby Football Union, said that he was delighted to welcome Hibernian Aviva on board.

From the outset the IRFU and the FAI stated that the naming rights would be an important element in the funding of the €400 million stadium which will be a home for both Irish rugby and soccer.

"It is important to understand that the funding provided by Hibernian Aviva for the naming rights would generate both current and future investment in the development of both sports," Browne said.

"In that context, we are delighted that Hibernian Aviva will also be investing in the development of grassroots programmes for both the IRFU and the FAI right across the country."

The IRFU and FAI are confident that in Aviva Stadium they have a model that will sustain both of their sports well into the future.

Browne added it would be wrong, however, only to dwell on what Aviva Stadium means for the two sports.

"We believe that in the difficult economic conditions we are now going through, Aviva Stadium will be of huge benefit to the economy as a whole.

"Previous research shows that the weekend of an Ireland v England rugby international has an economic impact of up to €90 million on the local economy.

"While that may be at the top end of the spectrum, it needs to be remembered that in any given year Aviva Stadium will host around ten major international sporting occasions, not to mention concerts and events such as the UEFA final which the FAI has already secured or a future Heineken Cup final which we will undoubtedly get.

"Even taking the most conservative view, I do not think it would be exaggerating to say that Aviva Stadium could have an impact of some €250 million on the local economy each year.

"Hibernian Aviva's support will drive both our sports and the economy at a time when it needs it more than ever. We are delighted to welcome them to the team," he added.

Speaking on behalf of Hibernian Aviva, Stuart Purdy, Group Chief Executive, said the company is delighted to be a partner in such a major sponsorship and contributor to the Irish economic and sports landscape.

"Hibernian Aviva has a strong Irish heritage built up over the last one hundred years of service to Irish consumers and as we rebrand under our parent company name Aviva, we will continue to build on this business strength," he said.

"Contributing to the economy and to the communities in which we operate are vitally important to us and I can think of no better way to demonstrate this than by supporting Aviva Stadium and IRFU and FAI grassroots programmes."

Purdy continued: "In addition to the brand awareness opportunities that come with a sponsorship of this scale and stature, as a company with a network reaching all over the country, the national and local reach of this sponsorship are important to us.

"We are looking forward to working with Aviva Stadium, the IRFU and FAI on this partnership."

Commenting on this investment, John Delaney, Chief Executive of the FAI, said he echoed all that had been said before and that the FAI was looking forward to working with Hibernian Aviva on strengthening football grassroots programmes which encourage participation in the sport among children and young adults.

He said the recent announcement that the 2011 UEFA Europa League final would be played at the Aviva Stadium is a fantastic start for the partnership.

"It really is a tremendous endorsement of just what is being achieved. I think it is fair to say that everyone in UEFA could see the potential of what we are developing," he said.

"One has only to think of some of the other stadia that were in line for the final to see just how world class the facility we are building is going to be."

Source: http://www.irishrugby.ie/283_16053.php

A video of the new stadium can be seen here: http://www.avivastadium.ie/Facts_Imagery.html

Celt67

March 9th, 2009, 09:48 AM

http://www.fai.ie/virtualtour/

NeilF

March 19th, 2009, 01:46 PM

Stadium Update:

The schedule up to and including Friday 20th March 2009, is set out below.

1. Pan Floating:
There is pan floating planned between 18.00hrs to 00.00hrs (midnight) on Monday 9th March 2009. Any other planned pan floating will be notified via the LRSDC website (or if you have requested a phone call you will be phoned).

2. Construction Update
Works on the refurbishment of the R&P Sewer will continue for the next couple of weeks. At the moment work is concentrated at the Southern end of the Dodder Walk. Works will recommence adjacent O’Connell Gardens within the next week.

Installation of ducting for the ESB supply to the stadium is in progress along the Dodder Walk. This work will be complete within the next week or so.

The OPW will commence sheet piling along the west bank of the River Dodder in or around 18 March 09. This work is part of the Dodder Flood Defence Works and is being completed on behalf of DCC. DCC will be writing to local residents in respect of this work and advising contact details.

Removal of the remaining trees along the Dodder Walk will commence in the next couple of weeks.

Removal of trees in No 65 Lansdowne Road to facilitate construction of the new Dart Station forecourt will also start.

Demolition of No 70 Shelbourne Road and construction of the new Swan Lane entrance will commence on Monday 2 March 2009.

Occasional access through Lansdowne Lane to the area west of the railway continues to be needed to deliver and remove materials.

Construction of the new Stadium Management building and refurbishment of the Lansdowne Football Clubhouse has started. Construction will continue for the next number of months

3. Out-of-Hours Traffic Movements
There are planned out of hour traffic movements on Monday – Friday for all next week between 23:00Hrs and 02:00Hrs. Should any more out of hours movements arise these will be put up on the LRSDC website (or if you have requested a phone call you will be phoned).

4. Rail Corridor Works
Iarnrod Eireann has granted a single night possession of the rail to LRSDC to undertake works adjacent to the rail tracks. This is a replacement session for one which was cancelled in January last. Works will commence at 22.00hrs on Saturday 14th March and will be completed by 08.00hrs on Sunday 15th March. We will take every measure to minimise any potential for noise and disruption.

New Photos

Aerial Shots - 11th March 2009

http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O5915_(Small)_18921814.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O5917_(Small)_18084821.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O5918_(Small)_05225835.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O5923_(Small)_84646932.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O5922_(Small)_36207821.JPG

Ground Shots - 11th March 2009

http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/IMG_0818_(Small)_66038854.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/IMG_0818_(Small)_57008603.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/IMG_0803_(Small)_30840175.jpg
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/IMG_0819_(Small)_80742000.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/IMG_0797_(Small)_58634861.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/IMG_0835_(Small)_69066285.JPG

Does anyone else seem to think that the views from the seats at the very back of the East and West Stands are going to have a partially restricted view from the roof supports? Ever since I first saw the renders for this stadium, I have thought that this would be a possibility and, despite positioning and whatnot from these photos being unknown, it now looks probable to me that there will be some restricted views of the far side of the pitch.

www.sercan.de

March 19th, 2009, 02:08 PM

I don't think that they will make this failure / mistake.

Livno80101

March 19th, 2009, 03:35 PM

Stadium Update:

New Photos

Aerial Shots - 11th March 2009

http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O5915_(Small)_18921814.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O5917_(Small)_18084821.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O5918_(Small)_05225835.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O5923_(Small)_84646932.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/1D2O5922_(Small)_36207821.JPG

Ground Shots - 11th March 2009

http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/IMG_0818_(Small)_66038854.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/IMG_0818_(Small)_57008603.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/IMG_0803_(Small)_30840175.jpg
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/IMG_0819_(Small)_80742000.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/IMG_0797_(Small)_58634861.JPG
http://www.lrsdc.ie/_fileupload/IMG_0835_(Small)_69066285.JPG

Does anyone else seem to think that the views from the seats at the very back of the East and West Stands are going to have a partially restricted view from the roof supports? Ever since I first saw the renders for this stadium, I have thought that this would be a possibility and, despite positioning and whatnot from these photos being unknown, it now looks probable to me that there will be some restricted views of the far side of the pitch.

you will be able to see the pitch in it's whole size, that's important, but some parts of other stands may not be visible.:nuts: