#TDS25 Preview: Stacked with ambition! Birmingham City FC’s Powerhouse

“Too often, stadiums feel like spaceships that could have landed anywhere, sterilising the surrounding area…” – Thomas Heatherwick, founder and design director of Heatherwick Studio

Not this one!!

We open our closing afternoon at #TDS25 with a deep dive into one of this year’s most eye-catching projects – the visionary 62,000-capacity home for Birmingham City FC. Dubbed the Powerhouse the stadium’s striking design blends the latest venue design trends with the industrial heritage of the UK’s second city.

“This stadium grows from Birmingham itself – from its brickworks, its thousand trades, and the craft at its core. The goal is to capture the spirit of the city and give it back to Birmingham.

The stadium – the centrepiece of the planned Birmingham Sports Quarter – will feature a retractable roof and moveable pitch, ensuring flexibility for a variety of events, all prioritising an exceptional fan experience. The steep bowl is designed to create the most intense matchday moments. And the ‘chimneys’ are not just a branding signature – they will channel sound from the bowl upward, reducing noise pollution in the neighbourhood.

The design – as detailed in our TheStadiumBusiness.com post here – is also a blend of transatlantic design expertise. World-renowned, UK-based design firm Heatherwick Studio is responsible for the architecture, structure, chimneys, public realm and the interior design. Kansas City-based MANICA is adding the US-style stadium experiences through the stadium’s functional design, its seating bowl and level-by-level layouts.

Taking us through this visonary project, we welcome Eliot Postma, Partner & Group Leader, Heatherwick Studio.

A key creative leader at the practice for the past 15 years, Eliot has helped shape major human-centred projects across the globe – from Olympia London to the Hainan Art Center and Google’s Bay View campus. His work blends craft, materiality and sustainability, earning him recognition as a RIBA Rising Star.

More than a stadium, the Powerhouse scheme is designed as a year-round civic destination, rooted in Birmingham’s heritage and built for its future. Eliot will share how the team’s vision aims to set a new benchmark for multi-use, community-first venue design.

> Step into the conversation as Heatherwick Studio reveals how Birmingham City’s next-generation stadium is being imagined and delivered – only at #TDS25.

Stadiums. Arenas. Destinations.
9-11 December 2025 | Emirates Old Trafford, Manchester