Lancashire County Cricket Club
- Location
- Manchester, UK
- Client
- Ask Property Developments|Lancashire County Cricket Club
- Expertise
- Architecture
- Building Services Engineering
- Interior Design
- Landscape Architecture
- Urban Design
- Completion
- 2024
- Size
- 18,500 sq m
- Cost
- £200m
The redevelopment of Old Trafford Cricket Ground has turned this iconic venue into one of the UK’s finest sporting destinations.
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With more than 25,000 seats now available, including 15,000 permanent ones, the ground offers a first-class experience for all spectators.
This phased redevelopment, which we commenced in 2005, blends innovative design with a respect for the club’s history and a commitment to sustainability. One of the first major changes was re-orientating the cricket square from east-west to north-south, ensuring bad light no longer interrupts play. This shift balanced hospitality and hotel spaces to the north, with new grandstands to the south. The restoration of the mid-1800s pavilion remains at the heart of the redevelopment, preserving Old Trafford’s heritage.
Major additions include The Point, an events venue with panoramic pitch views, and a state-of-the-art Players’ and Media Centre. The west side now boasts a large, flexible space ideal for concerts and festivals, further expanding Old Trafford's capacity. The ground can now host more than 250,000 people for summer concerts, highlighting its versatility beyond cricket.
The final phase, the Red Rose Project, is a collaborative effort with Trafford Council to complete the eastern section of the ground. It includes a new grandstand, 100 additional hotel rooms, a pitch-side function space, and a visitor attraction with a museum and shop. A new entrance connects Old Trafford Metrolink station to the cricket ground and Manchester United’s Theatre of Dreams.
"BDP understood that the project wasn't just about building a stand and some lounges but about generating revenues outside of matchdays and to develop creative and comprehensive spaces to do different things on different days for different people for different markets."
Sustainability was a priority from the outset. The Point earned a Gold Rating from the Green Business Tourism Scheme thanks to its eco-friendly features. New cycle parking, improved public transport access, and sustainable building materials demonstrate a commitment to reducing the venue’s environmental impact.
This transformation of Emirates Old Trafford cements its status as one of the UK’s leading cricket grounds and an enduring landmark for British sport and entertainment.
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“Lancashire Cricket Club is committed to ensuring Emirates Old Trafford is one of the best places in the world to watch and play cricket, both at a domestic and international level and the new stand, which includes a pitch-view suite, enhances the facilities for Lancashire Members. It transforms that area of the ground and makes Emirates Old Trafford one of the largest cricket stadiums in the country.”
The arrangement of the Red Rose Grandstand and Hotel design is very much driven by the guiding geometrical planning principles established by BDP’s design philosophy for the original cricket ground redevelopment masterplan. This plan clearly establishes a framework of distinct individual elements set out geometrically around the bowl of the cricketing arena and the axial directionality defined by the wicket. The new proposed Grandstand and Hotel very much fit within this model, expressed as individual elements, but linked together through a common approach to scale, form, and the use of materials.
These two architectural devices, the ‘plinth’ and the ‘wrap’, contain the various components of the façade; glazed curtain walling, glazed screening and balustrades, illuminated signage, branding, event overlay and wayfinding, flat and sinusoidal metal rain-screen panels, along with the ground level fence line within a consistent, controlled and simple architectural language which helps reinforce the singular identity of the building’s outward frontage to the streetscape.
Amazing dining experiences are the epitome of culinary bliss, where interior design meets gastronomy. These spaces are carefully crafted to ignite the senses, offering a seamless fusion of design, ambiance, and delectable cuisine. From sleek and modern restaurants with minimalistic aesthetics to opulent fine-dining establishments exuding luxury, each space tells a unique story. Our panel seeks the most impressively designed dining spaces across the North, where attention to detail is evident in every aspect of design, from the curated decor to the tableware, creating enchanting spaces customers return to time after time.
In our increasingly competitive hospitality industry, design plays a crucial role in attracting guests and creating a memorable experience. From the moment visitors step into a space, their first impression is formed by the design. Our panel is seeking entries from small budget hotels and unique venues to luxury hotel suites. Combining aesthetic appeal, functionality and style; creating a welcoming environment that exceeds guests' expectations through thoughtfully curated furnishings, designer features and advanced technology.
From the first phase the redevelopment the design has adopted innovative rainwater harvesting, low energy displacement ventilation, passive solar shading, Part-L beating super-insulation and air tightness. Both applied to this project, construction techniques and renewable technologies including air source heat pumps, whilst still retaining a consistent design approach and aesthetic through the architecture of edges, balconies and passive shading which respect the pitch orientation and sun path. This approach has guided the unique design language characterising the venue, making it instantly recognisable as the home of Lancashire Cricket.
Like many of our sports-led projects, our design for the redevelopment of Emirates Old Trafford started as a masterplan, business and facility planning feasibility and visioning process which not only considered the key ingredients required to create a world-class international cricket facility, but also a sustainable business proposition underpinned by creating the best 365 day a year hospitality and events venue in the region, integrated into a wider neighbourhood masterplan providing a comprehensive range of new education, leisure, and retail amenities to the local community.
Trafford Council is also embarking on the redevelopment of the wider area, the Civic Quarter Masterplan which will include a new public piazza and processional route that links the cricket ground with Manchester United’s Old Trafford.
The design and layout of Brian Statham Way considers future aspirations for the creation of a 'Processional Route' linking Lancashire County Cricket Club to the wider Civic Quarter neighbourhood masterplan. A temporary surface treatment across the length of Brian Statham Way accommodates works to the Cricket Club whilst maintaining vehicular access to the south.
Turning space is accommodated to the southern end of Brian Statham Way within the confines of the site boundary, maintaining access for the servicing requirements of the club and Metrolink. The existing parking bays have been removed from the scheme to facilitate the new street alignment. Lighting columns have also been relocated along the eastern boundary to aid in the de-cluttering of the public realm, creating a simple straight line of columns.
