âWeâre trying to invoke emotionâ: Stadium architects on what CGI tells fans

In the world of billionaires and the similarly wealthy teams they own, designing a state-of-the-art stadium goes beyond the visual.
In the offices of architecture firm Arup, there is a downstairs soundproof room with premium grade surround-sound speakers and a large screen. It looks like a small theatre.
âWe can put a client in there and say, âwhen your team scores, this is what it will sound like if your stadium roof is shaped this way,'â says Chris Dite, who is responsible for the firmâs sports projects.
âBut, if we change the roof shape to this, then this is what it will sound like.â
The way the pitch and intensity of the crowd noise changes in the aftermath of a goal is based on data from stadium projects the firm have completed over the last 25 years.
Diteâs previous work includes the Allianz Arena used by German football giants Bayern Munich and the Gtech Community Stadium where Brentford play.

âIf you can sit the client in those front rows and make them feel like theyâre in it, thatâs where you start to really invoke an emotional response,â Dite tells BBC News.
What a goal might sound like in the new Manchester United stadium was not part of the presentation given by the club earlier this week, but the design of the new ÂŁ2bn ground certainly invoked emotional responses.
Some questioned how realistic it was to build such tall pillars from which a glass panelled canvas drapes over the new stands and surrounding grounds.
The three pillars in the artistâs impression, unveiled by the firm Foster and Partners, are a nod to the trident on the Red Devilâs crest.
âGravity still exists, unfortunately for us,â remarks Dite. He says he âcanât comment on other architectural businessesâ but that Arup doesnât issue any public designs that havenât been approved by structural engineers.
âWe donât want to get into the situation of showing a client or fans an image that everyone falls in love with, that everybody gets behind.
âAnd then, when it comes to being a finished building, everyoneâs like âwell, that doesnât look anything like the pictureâ.â
Prof Kevin Singh, head of the Manchester School of Architecture, explains modern building techniques mean many of an architectâs ideas are possible to construct, though there are limitations.
Housing and infrastructure that surround an existing stadium, particularly in an inner city or residential area, can limit the scope of ambitious redevelopment.

Both Liverpool and Newcastle United have had difficulties expanding their grounds due to their close proximity to houses.
One stand at Luton Town can only be accessed through an entrance sandwiched between a long row of terraced housing. Fans pass through a tight corridor before climbing staircases overlooking gardens of neighbouring properties.
Singh points towards the way Fulham have redeveloped Craven Cottage in a residential part of west London and Evertonâs new ground at Bramley-Moore Dock as good examples of stadiums that âfit into its placeâ.
He said: âEvertonâs feels contextual. You know itâs on the dock and it has some nods to Goodison Park,â he told the BBC. âWhen you saw the images of the stadium, it looked like the sort of thing you would build there.â
In contrast, he thinks Man Utd have chosen to construct something striking that canât be confused for any other stadium.
âItâs very much an iconic thing in itself,â he says. âTheyâre justifying that sort of design because of the trident.â
Singh adds: âI think nobody could say that the proposal for Old Trafford is like anything else. I think avoiding anonymity was probably a key consideration.â

Dite agrees, saying how much a stadium stands out in its local area is often something that has to be discussed with planners.
âSome buildings make the statement that âI want to be seenâ ⊠I think Tottenhamâs stadium does that and certainly the images weâve seen this week from Manchester show itâs a statement â an iconic piece of architecture.â
He adds: âA lot of that is around the clientâs appetite to make a statement.â
For Singh this goes hand in hand with a clubâs wider ambitions around branding and what message it is trying to convey about itself.
âWeâre in a world now where brand is so important ⊠Anybody can support a team from anywhere â you can watch every single game on TV,â he says.
âItâs a global marketplace now and so clubs are competing, you know, all over the world for fans and their attention. So they have an identity in mind and, of course, their stadium is a huge part of that.â
Club greats and the local mayor hail the project as giving the club the world-leading stadium it deserves.
Some fans are stunned by this exciting look into the future while others feel it looks like a generic entertainment venue devoid of local connection.
Fans of rival clubs have commented it looks like a circus tent, a fitting reflection of the woes suffered by the Premier Leagueâs most valuable team â they are 15th in the table.
For Dite, as much as modern stadium design now includes acoustic considerations and brand messaging, the core tenets have long been the same.
âIt is not wildly different from when the Colosseum was built 2,000 years agoâ, he says. âThat spectators are really participants who want to be part of something bigger than themselves.
âYou know what itâs like, when itâs the last five minutes of a close game, everyone gets behind the team.
âIt becomes a collective experience. Youâre not watching the action, youâre in it.â