By Charlotte Wilson-
Lord Norman Foster is currently attempting to please both football and the royals with two of his most talked-about designs. The celebrated architect, known for iconic structures such as London’s “Gherkin” building, is the vision behind a new 100,000-seater stadium for Manchester United. He describes it as “the project of a lifetime.” It is a homecoming of sorts for the architect, who grew up in Manchester. For the 90-year-old, the passion from the fans is a huge source of excitement. “The fan base is incredible,” Lord Foster said. “It’s a galvanising project…and so many things can naturally ride on the back of that sporting, emblematic kind of team.”
Norman Foster Masterplan for New Man Utd Stadium Revealed. Sky News
A conceptual image of what the new Manchester United stadium could look like. Pic: Foster + Partners/PA
The new stadium is set to cost around £2 billion. Its design, which features three tall masts acting as a vast umbrella over Old Trafford, is part of a larger regeneration project. Lord Foster claims the project could be completed in as little as five years. The vision is a “master plan that will create streets, squares, neighbourhoods and connect with the heart of Manchester.” He stated that because Manchester United is “different,” its stadium will be “different… and better, of course.”
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Pic: Foster + Partners/PA
The stadium design is part of a larger regeneration project. Pic: Foster + Partners/PA
The Norman Foster Masterplan Extends Beyond Football
In addition to the stadium, Lord Foster’s firm also won the commission to design a national memorial in honor of the late Queen Elizabeth II. The new monument will be in London’s St James’s Park. His plans include a statue of Queen Elizabeth II standing next to her husband, Prince Philip, and a semi-glass bridge that nods to her wedding tiara. Lord Foster says he hopes the memorial will be “more of all the good things.” He wants to create “a reminder of the legacy of the most extraordinary long-serving monarch” for the millions of people who traverse the park daily.
The royal gardens design. Pic: Foster+Partners and Malcolm Reading Consultants/PA
Lord Foster speaks at the awards ceremony. Sky News
After receiving a lifetime achievement medal at the London Design Festival, Lord Foster spoke about his frustrations with Britain’s investment in infrastructure. He said he “lamented, like so many, the cancellation of HS2.” The long-delayed rail route’s northern leg to Manchester was scrapped in 2023. He believes the decision was short-sighted. Foster says “connectivity is the answer to many of the social issues that we talk about.” He finds that politicians prioritize short-term issues instead of seeing the bigger picture. “The city is not static, it’s dynamic,” he explained. “It’s always changing, evolving, adapting to change, and it can do that well, or it can do it badly. But it needs planning, it needs anticipation.”
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