Low Embodied Carbon Wood Stadiums

The Forest Green Rovers' entirely wooden stadium may come to fruition soon after getting approval from the English Football League. The League Two club is now advancing the plans for the 5,000-seater Eco Park stadium which will include landscaped parking, two pitches, and a 4G playing surface with access for the local community.

The Eco Park stadium will focus on long-term sustainability, considering the impact of creating the stadium and its eventual demise. The stadium is to be built using green technology, organic timber, and to contain no pesticides, fertiliser, or chemicals. Moreover, the grass will be tended by an electric lawnmower powered by solar energy.

“Unlike most buildings, around three quarters of the lifetime carbon impact of any stadium comes from its building materials, while the opposite is true for residential and business buildings, where three quarters of the lifetime carbon impact come from the operation of the building,” a company spokesperson said.

“The importance of using ethically sourced wood, is not only that it’s a naturally occurring renewable material, but that it has very low embodied carbon compared to alternatives such as concrete and steel. So the stadium will have the lowest embodied carbon of any sports stadium in the world.”

Image Credit: Forest Green Rovers