The Rise of Milton Keynes – Populous

By Populous’ Richard Breslin & Mike Trice

“Let’s Play Darts!”

The perennial cry of the darts competition announcer rang out across arenamk in Milton Keynes, as Dutchman Michael Van Gerwen defended his 2016 Unibet Masters title in front of an exuberant crowd.

With thousands of fans watching some of the best darts players from around the world in such a self-contained location, they could be forgiven for overlooking the fact that they were sitting in an arena which is also part of  a 30,000-seat football stadium, cinema complex, hotel and retail centre, in a city which didn’t exist 50 years ago.

What’s more, at the very same time the Masters was underway, the home football team was playing one of their biggest ever games, hosting Chelsea in the FA Cup Fifth Round. Here Mike Trice explains that to understand what’s happened at Milton Keynes, we have to go back to 1967……..

The lively community of Milton Keynes, just an hour’s drive north of London, was first designated as a town in 1967. In the last 49 years it has become a key part of the fabric of the region, with a range of leisure and recreation offerings for its residents. A large part of the civic energy is down to the success and community spirit engendered by the town’s football club, the Milton Keynes Dons, and their unique home ground.

I often find that the most interesting parts of the design process are within the untold, behind-the-scenes stories of a stadium, and in the ‘empty’ time between matches and events – although anyone who has visited between events will know that these days venues are generally far from “empty” any time.

Never-the-less fans stream through the doors on match day, but how many will know what has actually happened in the 24 hours prior? In the case of stadiummk and the adjoined arenamk, it is nonstop and could be anything from football to rugby, from concerts to conferences, and the inner workings of a thriving hotel, right through the week.

The ability to switch between uses and audiences in just a matter of hours was integral to the initial design brief given to Populous by the club in the early 2000’s. Milton Keynes Dons’ owner, music mogul Pete Winkelman had ambitions for a Premiership-level stadium, while playing in League 2 of English football.

The state-of-the-art proposal for stadiummk was conceived so that the ground could grow in parallel with the club’s ambitions, whilst also providing the chance to grow further business opportunities. The striking and unique DoubleTree by Hilton Milton Keynes Hotel, which now surrounds the stadium, is a key part of the success of the design.

 

The project provided a unique set of challenges to the Populous team; making the design, construction process and future use as economically sustainable as possible. This led to some really interesting space-saving solutions.

For instance, the west stand pitch-facing bedrooms can be switched between hotel and football mode, allowing them to become corporate boxes during games and maximising the use of space.

Now, back to the football and darts!

Both sports require venues which intensify the atmosphere and provide instant, easy access to hospitality options and amenities.

Creating a stadium and arena within the same masterplan allowed us to make the best use of the space available on the site. The threshold between the stadium and the arena has been designed to efficiently cater for audiences in both buildings; the WCs and bars are located to serve each, with home-team football fans also entering the stadium through the arena on match day, helping to create a hub for local supporters.

In line with its growing reputation, the stadium was able to secure three matches during the 2015 Rugby World Cup, during which the stadium’s attendance record was beaten three successive times, and the stadium itself was broadcast around the world.

It is incredibly satisfying when a project fulfils its original brief, and is adopted and used to its full potential by a client. The design approach of stadiummk is one of planned, sustainable development, but also of creating spaces and places that can be used and enjoyed by the local community and visitors throughout the year.

 

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Mike is a Senior Principal and a Director of the London office of Populous.

In a 25-year career, he has worked on a diverse portfolio of designs, including the Circuit of Wales motor racing track, the Handball Arena for the London 2012 Olympic Games, stadiummk in Milton Keynes, and the Etihad Stadium South Stand Expansion for Manchester City FC.

Mike and his team have developed relationships with a number of football clubs across all leagues, in both the UK and Europe. Changing rules relating to football financial affairs has involved Mike’s team in advising a number of Premier League clubs on adaptations and additions to their existing facilities, with a view to improving the spectator experience and increasing match day revenue.

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Richard Breslin is a Senior Principal at Populous and a Director of the Asian/Pacific office headquartered in Brisbane. Richard also sits on the worldwide strategic Board of Populous and is responsible for all of the firm’s projects in New Zealand and Australia.

Richard is currently leading the Populous team on the Darling Harbour Live project in Sydney in a HASSELL+ Populous joint venture. The $1B project includes the design of a convention centre, exhibition centre and theatre. He was Director in charge of the redevelopment of Margaret Court Arena in Melbourne.

In 1997, Richard began work with the team on the design of Stadium Australia (now ANZ Stadium), the main venue for the Sydney 2000 Olympics before moving to London where he worked on Wembley Stadium, and the design of the Soccer City Stadium in South Africa, for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. He was also project leader for Populous’ successful master plan for the London 2012 Olympic Park.

In 2007, Richard headed home and led the teams on Eden Park redevelopment in Auckland and Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin in preparation for the 2011 Rugby World Cup.

 

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