Kingston Communications Stadium, Hull
Abstract
In the late 1990s, Kingston-upon-Hull City Council floated Kingston Communications, the telephone company that gave Hull its distinctive cream coloured telephone boxes, on the stock exchange. Hull City Council used part of the proceedings from
the flotation to invest in the future through the funding of an iconic stadium and community sports facility, which would act as a flagship regeneration project for the city as well as providing a legacy for the people of Hull.
On a freezing cold night in December 2002, Hull City played a friendly football match against Sunderland in front of approximately 25,000 spectators, and the dream had become a reality.
The stadium is now home to both Hull City FC (football) and Hull FC (rugby league) as well a community ‘Learning Zone’, a pioneering partnership set up by Hull City Council and Hull College. The stadium has also welcomed capacity crowds to a wide range of ‘one off’ events, including two England U21 friendlies, concerts by Elton John, Westlife and Blue, a floodlight cricket match and a rugby league test match between Great Britain and Australia.
In addition to the stadium itself, the complex comprises a 12-court sports hall, two all weather hockey pitches, a BMX/skateboard area and an aviary. The project has won a number of prestigious awards, including the IStructE
(Yorkshire Branch) award for ‘Excellence in Structural Design’, the RICS ‘ProYorkshire 2003’ award for ‘Outstanding Achievement’, the 2004 Civic Trust award for ‘Culture and Regeneration’, a commendation in the 2004 Structural
Steelwork Design Awards, as well as being highly commended in the ‘Best Practice’ section of the BCI awards.
This paper describes the design and construction of the stadium, paying particular attention to the design of the west stand roof and the dynamic behaviour of the stadium.
Author
Jon Carr, SKM Anthony Hunts