The Institution of Mechanical Engineers has released a new report that explores how engineers can help make sports venues more sustainable, while improving the experiences of athletes, spectators and becoming more inclusive
Sport is a multi-billion-dollar industry that unites athletes and supporters globally. Mega sporting events such as the Olympics and an increasingly diverse community of sport have accelerated the need for large sports venues that consider the varying needs of athletes and spectators. The large carbon footprint of sports venue construction and operations, coupled with a rapidly changing climate impacting the ability for sport to be played, means that these venues must now also be resilient to, and mitigate their impact on, the environment.
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Given these global challenges, the IMechE has explored the role of engineers in sports venue design. Its new report, Engineering better sports venues: Designing for athletes, spectators and the environment, discusses the impact that sports venues have on the environment and the people using them, highlighting sustainable and inclusive design considerations for engineers, and showcases innovation as the way forward. Recommendations are made to help governments, sports organisations, governing bodies and elite and community-level venues to improve the experience of athletes and spectators, and reduce environmental impact to ensure that sport is viable well into the future.
‘The role that supporters play in providing and enhancing the atmosphere is integral to the spectacle of top-class sport, as the behind-closed-doors period during Covid demonstrated,’ said Tom Greatrex, chair of the Football Supporters’ Association. ‘“Football without fans is nothing” is a frequently heard statement – but fans deserve to be a key consideration in the design of stadia, not just for their own safety and comfort, but also to ensure the acoustics and atmosphere are not compromised by stadium design. We very much hope those embarking upon new and refurbished stadia projects take heed of the findings of this study.’
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The report can be found here.
Image: Storm machine