Corporate Fit-Out: The Aviva Stadium

By Stephanie Lawless

The Aviva is Ireland’s first and only UEFA Elite Stadium and the demand for high quality bespoke interior fixtures was crucial to achieve an elite ranking, (which is the highest rank a stadium can have). A UEFA Elite Stadium must provide full seating for at least 25,000 people and furthermore include at least 1,500 VIP seats and 200 VIP seats for the visiting team. Four-hundred square metres must also be allotted for hospitality areas and the facilities for both the players and the fans must be of the highest standard. It was no surprise, therefore, that the project represented a mammoth task, not only in terms of area sensitive architectural design but also the planning and implementation of the interior fit out of the stadium. The state-of-the-art sports facility had to not only offer premium quality fittings and fixtures but also meet the demands of accessibility and sustainability. Rainwater, for instance will be harvested and used to irrigate the pitch, while waste heat will be collected from the generators and to heat the water for the toilets.

The newly completed Aviva Stadium can be seen as a beacon of hope in terms of optimistic design. Despite the fit-out industry having faced considerable downsizing of late, the Aviva project undertook to employ over 6,000 workers over a three year period in its realisation. Fit-out agents included ROC Group, who supplied a large amount of premium bespoke carpeting for both the President’s restaurant and Premium Circulation areas; Armstrong who provided much of the ceiling tiles for both food prep and corporate box areas and Tilestyle who supplied the tiles for the main walkways and toilets. Other companies involved in the fit-out of the stadium included Parklex, who were responsible for the timber ceilings in both the corporate areas and the players entrances and Formica, who in conjunction with Allied Thrislington and Western Post Form, provided between 70 and 80% of the surface laminates.

The cooperation and synergy required of the companies involved in the planning and implementation of the stadium’s interior was essential and the benefits of having such a high degree of quality in both design and interior planning will hopefully point toward a new and ambitious direction in the planning and realisation of projects in the future.

Photography: Donal Murphy

Article as seen in Architecture Ireland 252

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