Heatherwick Studio and MANICA to design £3bn Birmingham Sports Quarter

Plans for a transformative £3bn sports and leisure complex in Birmingham are gathering pace, after award-winning architects Heatherwick Studio and MANICA were appointed to lead the design.

The scheme is set to deliver a 60,000 seat new football stadium alongside leisure, commercial, and residential developments on a 48-acre site in Bordersley, around a mile east of the city centre.

Birmingham City chairman Tom Wagner, whose Knighthead Capital group is behind the scheme, announced London firm Heatherwick Studio and Kansas-based MANICA as architects for the project, supported by film director Steven Knight.

Speaking to Place Midlands at the regional investment summit in Birmingham, Wagner said the project’s timeline was “on track”, with initial designs expected to be released to the public in the coming weeks.

An outline planning application is due to be submitted to Birmingham City Council in January.

“We had phenomenal presentations from all five architects, incredible designs from start to finish but we felt the Heatherwick design was best for the project we were pursuing, and was most closely aligned with the history of Birmingham and the club, and where we hope to take things going forward,” he said.

“There’s a lot more to the site development process than just the stadium as we’ve said repeatedly. There’s there’s a lot to it.

“We’re excited about the pace and, I think, everything’s on track for our timeline.”

Knighthead announced an initial £100m investment in the scheme in February, which is set to create around 8,400 jobs in the city and is expected to be completed around 2031.

The new sports complex will be built on the site for the former Birmingham Wheels go-kart track, less than a mile away from the existing Birmingham City stadium at St Andrews.

Thomas Heatherwick, founder and design director of Heatherwick Studio, said his firm “couldn’t be prouder” after being appointed to the scheme.  

“This is going to be an incredible piece of city built around the passions of the Blues fans and the community,” he said.

“Not another spaceship dropped in a car park which feels dead when there’s not a match, but somewhere that’s alive, connected, grown from the site and from the history of Birmingham itself.”

David Manica, president and owner of Manica Architecture, added: “We’re thrilled to partner with Heatherwick Studio to design an extraordinary new home for Birmingham City Football Club. This new stadium will not only usher in a new era for Birmingham fans but will honour the Club’s passionate supporters and storied history.”