Foster + Partners ‘foster’ United training hub

Image: Manchester United

The architecture studio Foster + Partners has begun work renovating the interiors of the men’s first-team building at the Premier League team Manchester United F.C.’s Carrington training complex in Carrington, England (UK).

‘dezeen’ stated that the renovation of the training ground located around six miles from the club’s Old Trafford home stadium in Stretford, England (UK) commenced on June 17^th and is being led by Foster + Partners founder Norman Foster, who is from Manchester.

London (UK)-based Foster + Partners is a global studio for architecture, urbanism and design all rooted in sustainability and founded by Norman Foster in 1967. Since then, he and the team around him have established an international practice with a worldwide reputation. With offices across the globe, they work as a single studio that is both ethnically and culturally diverse.

The Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United, is a professional football club based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England (UK). The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football.

The Old Trafford is a football stadium in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England (UK) and the home of Manchester United F.C. With a capacity of 74,310 it is the largest club football stadium (and second-largest football stadium overall after the 90,000-capacity Wembley Stadium) in the United Kingdom and the 12th-largest in Europe.

The Carrington Training Centre is the training ground and academy headquarters of the English football club Manchester United F.C. It is near the village of Carrington, Greater Manchester, England (UK) and replaced The Cliff as the club’s training ground in the year 2000.

‘dezeen’ further stated that born in Reddish (Stockport, UK) in 1935, Foster described the design as capturing “the spirit of industry, grit and ambition that exemplifies both Manchester and the Manchester United. As a proud Mancunian (a native or inhabitant of Manchester), it is a particular honor for me to see Foster + Partners given this responsibility”.

The project will include a complete interior refurbishment of the building, transforming it into what the Manchester United described as a “world-class football facility”.

Foster + Partners will initially focus on creating more streamlined interiors for the gym, as well as medical, nutrition and the recovery areas.

Renders released by Foster + Partners show sandy-hued, open-plan spaces illuminated by floor-to-ceiling glazing and filled with potted plants.

Explained Jim Ratcliffe, Manchester United Co-Owner, “When we conducted a thorough review of the Carrington training facilities and met with our men’s first team players, it was clear the standards had fallen below some of our peers. This project will ensure that the Manchester United’s training ground is once more renovated to the highest standards.”

The renovation is the latest stage in wider developments at Carrington where the Manchester United Women and Academy building opened in October 2023.

The Foster + Partners project is set to last through the next football season although temporary adaptations will be made to the rest of the Carrington site to accommodate the player and staff needs during the renovation period.

The studio has designed the architecture for previously completed sports venues including London’s Wembley Stadium, which opened in 2007, and the more recent 88,966-capacity Lusail Stadium in Qatar created for the FIFA 2022 World Cup™.

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