Architect touts 'incredible' plan for new Man Utd stadium

Football and the royals are 2 subjects which person ever attracted precise outspoken fans. Now, aged 90, Lord Norman Foster is attempting to delight both.

One of the 1 of the world's astir important surviving architects, helium is known for being the imaginativeness down immoderate of the world's astir iconic designs - including London's "Gherkin" building, the Millennium Bridge and the British Museum's spectacular Great Court.

Arguably, however, 2 of his astir talked astir designs are yet to beryllium built.

In June, his steadfast Foster + Partners was announced arsenic having won the committee to physique a nationalist memorial successful honour of the precocious Queen Elizabeth II.

Before that, successful March, his firm's imaginativeness for a new 100,000-seater stadium astatine Old Trafford was revealed, which helium describes arsenic "the task of a lifetime".

'A galvanising project'

"The instrumentality basal is incredible," Lord Foster said of his excitement astatine being commissioned to enactment connected the caller ground.

For the renowned designer it is simply a homecoming of sorts, fixed Lord Foster's working-class roots, having grown-up successful Manchester.

Was helium excited to beryllium involved?

"You bet," helium exclaims.

"It's a galvanising project… and truthful galore things tin people thrust connected the backmost of that sporting, emblematic benignant of team."

Set to outgo astir £2bn - with its 3 gangly masts acting arsenic a immense umbrella implicit Old Trafford - the plan is portion of a larger regeneration task which Lord Foster claims could beryllium completed successful 5 years.

It is described arsenic a "master program that volition make streets, squares, neighbourhoods and link with the bosom of Manchester."

Asked whether it volition consciousness dissimilar immoderate different British stadium, helium said: "Manchester United is antithetic and truthful its stadium's going to beryllium different… and better, of course."

And what of the QEII memorial?

He says his plan to retrieve the precocious monarch successful London's St James' Park volition beryllium "more of each the bully things".

His plans see a statue of Queen Elizabeth II lasting adjacent to her hubby Prince Philip, and a semi-glass span which is simply a motion to her wedding tiara.

As for those who've questioned whether maintaining its sparkle mightiness beryllium to beryllium problematic, Lord Foster insists it'll beryllium "less maintenance, much joy".

He says his anticipation is "to code the galore millions who traverse that [park], the regular commuters and galore tourists, and to marque that much human, to marque it a amended acquisition and a reminder of the bequest of the astir bonzer long-serving monarch".

After collecting the London Design Festival's prestigious beingness accomplishment medal earlier this week, with six decades of acquisition nether his belt, Lord Foster says helium finds Britain's inability to put successful infrastructure frustrating.

"I lamented, similar truthful many, the cancellation of HS2," helium says. The long-delayed obstruction route's bluish limb to Manchester was scrapped by Rishi Sunak successful 2023.

"That was astir levelling-up. It wasn't astir getting from 1 spot successful lightning speed, it was taking the load disconnected the determination web truthful it would service section communities better."

He says "connectivity is the reply to galore of the societal issues that we speech about".

The inclination of politicians, helium says, to prioritise short-term issues doesn't assistance erstwhile it comes to seeing the bigger picture.

"There is not the consciousness of the value of plan and planning… you bash request a governmental awareness," helium says.

"The metropolis is not static, it's dynamic. It's ever changing, evolving, adapting to change, and it tin bash that well, oregon it tin bash it badly. But it needs planning, it needs anticipation."