BDP Pattern helps Everton realise vision for Bramley-Moore Dock stadium
The first test event at Everton’s new Bramley-Moore Dock stadium took place on the 17th February as the club prepares to move into its new home for the upcoming season. The landmark project, delivered by BDP Pattern, has transformed a historic dockyard into a world-class football venue, delivering an extraordinary experience for fans and players alike.
Everton Stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock has been developed through a collaboration of specialist teams across multiple stages of design and construction.
“Attending the first-ever match at Everton’s new stadium was an incredible milestone, both professionally and personally. Seeing it come alive for the first time was overwhelming. After years as a digital model and then a construction site, the stadium has finally become what it was designed to be – a home for the Everton family.
“Watching supporters gather in the plazas and concourses, experiencing the details we carefully developed, and seeing the building in action was a proud and exhilarating moment. From the warm glow of the handmade bricks to the steep rake of the South Stand, every element has been crafted to create an inclusive, intimate, and world-class footballing experience.
“This project is a testament to the vision of the club and the dedication of hundreds of professionals and builders who have brought it to life. I have no doubt that the stadium will soon be recognised as one of the great stadiums in world football.”
Meis Architects was appointed as design architect in 2016, overseeing the project from feasibility through to design development. In early 2020, Laing O’Rourke was selected as the preferred contractor and subsequently appointed BDP Pattern as delivery architect, with Meis retained by the club as design guardian on the project. As Everton FC refined the design brief, BDP Pattern worked alongside Laing O’Rourke from 2020 to 2025, overseeing a revised RIBA Stage 3, an amended planning application, and RIBA Stages 4–6 to ensure the original design intent was maintained throughout construction.
The project has involved transforming a dockyard constructed in 1848 into a football stadium with a seating capacity of 52,888.
The first challenge was constructing a stadium on top of water, and to achieve this, main contractor Laing O’Rourke brought in 480,000 cubic metres of sand from the Irish Sea by boat and gradually infilled the dockyard.
Construction took 178 weeks before handover six days before Christmas, with the fit-out phase expected to be complete by mid-year ahead of the new season starting in August.
Further Reading
Everton Stadium
Everton Football Club’s new 52,000 seat stadium will provide far-reaching benefits to both the club and the community.