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."
Low Embodied Carbon Wood Stadiums
The Forest Green Rovers Eco Park stadium is Crafted from Wood
Trend Themes
1. Low Embodied Carbon Buildings - Buildings that prioritize the use of ethically sourced wood with low embodied carbon over other materials to reduce their carbon footprint and environmental impact could be a disruptive innovation opportunity.
2. Green Technology Construction - The combination of green technology and construction can reduce carbon emissions and provide a more sustainable method of building structures that could present a disruptive innovation opportunity.
3. Community and Sustainable Sports Facilities - Sustainable sports facilities that prioritize the needs of communities and the environment could present a disruptive innovation opportunity in the sports industry.
Industry Implications
1. Construction Industry - The construction industry can take advantage of ethically sourced wood and other green technologies to reduce carbon emissions and promote more sustainable building practices.
2. Sports Industry - The sports industry can benefit from the construction of sustainable sports facilities that focus on the needs of both the community and environment.
3. Renewable Energy Industry - The renewable energy industry can provide the technologies and resources necessary to power sustainable sports facilities, such as solar energy for an electric lawnmower.