Dundee F.C. new den to mirror Dens Park spirit

Article posted by Coliseum, January 12^th, 2024

Image: Holmes Miller Architects

The Holmes Miller Architects has been appointed by the Scottish Premiership team Dundee Football Club (Scotland, UK) to begin work on designing a new stadium for the club.

‘Holmes Miller Architects’ stated that the project will see the development of plans for a proposed new, state-of-the-art stadium as part of a mixed-use development at Camperdown in Dundee (UK) to replace the club’s current home of Dens Park, which dates back to 1899.

Glasgow (UK)-based Holmes Miller is a practice rich in history filled with a passionate and enthusiastic team delivering excellence in architecture and interior design. The practice has built its reputation over the past seven decades by providing clients with the confidence and assurance they need to realize their building projects.

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The Dundee Football Club is a professional football club based in the City of Dundee, Scotland (UK), founded in 1893. The team are nicknamed ‘The Dark Blues’ or ‘The Dee’. The club plays its home matches at the Dens Park.

The Dens Park, officially known as the Scot Foam Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a football stadium in Dundee, Scotland (UK), which is the home of the Scottish Premiership club Dundee F.C. and has a capacity of 11,850.

The Scottish Premiership, known as the cinch Premiership for sponsorship reasons, is the top division of the Scottish Professional Football League, the league competition for men’s professional football clubs in Scotland.

‘Holmes Miller Architects’ further stated that Holmes Miller has worked with the LJRH of Dundee to develop a master plan with the new stadium concept at its heart. A Planning Permission in Principle application (PPiP) will be lodged in January 2024 covering the proposals.

Dundee (UK)-based the LJRH Architects were formed in 2005 through the amalgamation of Reid and Greig Architects and Leadingham Hynd. The practice rapidly grew to one of the largest in Dundee totaling some 20 staff, including the four Founding Partners – Henry Leadingham, David Jameson, Mike Rogers, and Bob Hynd.

The Planning Permission in Principle (PPiP) is a type of application that allows a proposal – a residential development, for example – to be assessed without having to give the details of the layout, design or finish of any buildings.

An expert in stadium design, Holmes Miller has designed and delivered a diverse portfolio of stadium, arena and leisure projects across the United Kingdom over the past four decades including the recent vision for the 51,866-capacity Hampden Park in Glasgow, Scotland.

At around 12,500-capacity the stadium will be designed to amplify matchday atmosphere, featuring a home-end safe-standing tribune, activated concourse areas and light-emitting diode (LED) screens. The scheme will also feature a 1000-capacity multiuse venue, tiered hospitality experiences and a 250-capacity brew hall.

NetZero design and inclusivity will be at the core of the project as the proposed stadium will meet international standards for accessibility and sustainability underpinned by cutting-edge audio-visual (AV) and communication technologies to enhance the experience for all.

The stadium will be the centerpiece of a mixed-use destination featuring a 120-room hotel with health+wellbeing facilities, a Dundee F.C. training center, residential development, and a City crematorium. These will be crafted within new landscaped public realm served by a dedicated bus terminal, cycle hub and electric vehicle (EV) charging facilities to create a well-connected new district of Dundee.

Informed Ian Cooney, Project Director, Holmes Miller, “We’re delighted to be working with Dundee F.C. and the wider consultant team to deliver this exciting vision. Dundee is a place beloved by its people and possesses many cultural assets, and this project is an offering to a future-facing City. Holmes Miller’s design will offer a 21^st century fan experience to engage a new generation of Dundee FC supporters and citizens at this multiuse venue. Our stadium concept will embrace the spirit and heritage of Dens Park, with authenticity key to the design. It will be centered on a modern matchday experience for the Dundee fans – with the ability to flex for a variety of cultural and civic events on non-matchdays.”

Added John Nelms, Chief Executive, Dundee F.C., “The project team have been working with an extensive planning and consultants’ team to ensure we have a robust business case and project evaluation prepared for the local Council as part of the Planning Permission in Principle process. We want to make the Dundee Football Club and the stadium campus project a key part of the City’s regeneration and we have been encouraged by comments from the Council that they are committed to helping remove barriers and working with the developers to accelerate projects that will help the regeneration. We look forward to working in partnership with the Council throughout this process and want to give the Dundee fans a stadium befitting our future ambitions, one that is viable seven days a week through various entertainment and event offerings – in addition to cheering on ‘The Dark Blues’.”

Concluded Nelms, “It is our commitment to a bright and sustainable future for our club and the City and we are excited to share a glimpse of what that future will look like. We hope that as well as exciting fans, the visualization of the new stadium shows we are determined to honor our history and heritage and make sure the Dens Park, which has been our spiritual home for almost 125 years, can inspire the design of our new home and shape the club’s future.”

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