Dundee Camperdown venue project ‘Green’ focus

Image: Holmes Miller

The Scottish Premiership team Dundee F.C. have released a three-minute video showcasing long drawn-out plans for a new 12,500-capacity stadium on the North edge of the City Dundee (Scotland, UK).

The sustainability factor has been accorded topmost priority in Dundee F.C.’s Camperdown stadium project.

‘THE SCOTSMAN’ stated that the latest stage of the project is an animated “flythrough” film created by the architect firm Holmes Miller that takes the viewer “on a journey from the Dens Park (Dundee, Scotland)…to the new multiuse arena in Camperdown Park (the largest public park in Dundee)”.

The Dundee Football Club is a professional football club based in the City of Dundee, Scotland (UK) and plays in the Scottish Premiership (the top division of the Scottish Professional Football League [SPFL], the league competition for the men’s professional football clubs in Scotland). The top-flight was founded in the year 1893. The team are nicknamed ‘The Dark Blues’ or ‘The Dee’. The club plays its home matches at the Dens Park.

Image: Holmes Miller

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 11,775.

Formed in 1951, Holmes Miller is a multidisciplinary design firm that provides feasibility, planning and building-design services. The practice employs over 55 design professionals that work across its offices in Glasgow (UK), London (UK) and Guangzhou (China).

‘THE SCOTSMAN’ further stated that the club also released a frequently asked question (FAQ) sheet to try to shed more light on the project. The owners are determined to leave Dens Park, the Dundee’s home since 1899.

Image: Holmes Miller

The Dundee F.C. Managing Director John Nelms claims the current stadium is costing the club £700,000 a year to maintain – “It is costing us more and more every year in repairs – the equivalent of one or two players a year just to stand still.”

The land for the proposed new stadium was bought in 2016 by Nelms and the Dundee F.C. Chairman Tim Keyes under the banner of a separate company, the Dark Blue Property Holdings. Nelms addressed the main question – when will the stadium be built?

He remarked, “I have said before I’d like to see a spade in the ground in 2025 but that decision is out of our hands. We will be ready to go provided we get the permission requested.”

The club submitted the Planning Permission in Principle to the Dundee City Council earlier this year and await a decision on that later this year.

Image: Holmes Miller

A Planning Permission in Principle 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, the design, or the finish of any buildings.

The Dundee City Council is the local authority for Dundee City, one of the 32 Council areas of Scotland (UK). It was created in 1996 in its modern form.

The total investment in the stadium and the surrounding development has been estimated at £95 million. The complex will include a 250-capacity brewhouse on site, a safe standing tribune and enhanced light-emitting diode (LED) hi-res interactive jumbo-screens.
 

Camperdown Stadium Project

‘dundeefc.co.uk’ stated that the Dundee F.C. has shared the latest stage of its Camperdown Stadium Project – an inspiring animated flythrough of Dundee F.C.’s proposed new stadium and event campus.

Image: Holmes Miller

The three-minute visual spectacular, created by the project’s architect, Holmes Miller, takes fans on a journey from Dens Park, our home for the last 125 years, to the new multi-use arena in Camperdown Park.

‘dundeefc.co.uk’ further stated that following the supporters’ route past the 140-room hotel and through the main entrance – which pays homage to the iconic Archibald Leitch (Scottish architect) ‘chevron’ – the stadium is transformed from a capacity crowd savoring an epic Dundee derby under the lights into a throbbing concert venue hosting the biggest names in music and entertainment.

The animation also encapsulates the features of the stadium that will serve the fans and the City of Dundee for generations to come with world-class hospitality facilities.

The stadium will be built to the highest standards of sustainability: An all-electric multifunctional venue, in line with FIFA’s Green Goals initiative and the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), whose features will include: 100 percent recyclable seating, a ‘green roof’ to promote biodiversity and rainwater reharvesting.

Image: Holmes Miller

The FIFA’s Green Goals initiative is a set of projects that aim to reduce the carbon footprint of the FIFA events and to support the fight against climate change.

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), also known as the Global Goals, were adopted by the United Nations in 2015 as a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that by 2030 all people enjoy peace and prosperity.

Net zero design underpins the master plan which will promote the reduction of both embodied and operational carbon through building specification, construction and operation.

To encourage green travel, the new destination will be served by a dedicated e-bus terminal, cycle hub and electric vehicle (EV) charging facilities, all set within the high-quality public realm. The use of soft landscaping and tree-planting will ensure the pedestrian and the parking areas are attractive.

Noted Nelms, “We hope the fans will be as excited as we were when we saw the animation of the new stadium. It was emotional seeing the work to this point brought to life using the latest technology that allows us to really imagine what it will be like making our way to a new state-of-the art stadium. In a way, it brings us a tantalizing step closer to realizing the dream and bringing the vision to life for our fans. As we’ve always said, we want the arena to be a crown jewel of the City of Dundee’s regeneration and it’s our intention to take our fans, the local community in general and all the Scottish football fans on the journey with us. We continue our dialog with the City’s Planning Department having submitted the Planning Permission in Principle in February this year. The creation of this animation, the updated images and the accompanying FAQs will make sure everyone is informed as the process unfolds.”

Image: Holmes Miller

Added Nelms, “With the planning application submitted by the Dundee FC Community Trust to the Dundee City Council for the proposed new Riverside Community Training Hub, we are now even more inspired to get to work on bringing the stadium to life as quickly as possible.”

Dundee (Scotland)-based the Dundee FC Community Trust is an independent Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation incorporated in November 2017 to deliver health, well-being and inclusion programs to the disadvantaged adults and youth in Dundee and the surrounding areas.

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