New Project: Seat Unique Stadium
Skeletal Consulting Engineers are delighted to announce our appointment as civil and structural engineers for the extensive refurbishment of the players and match officials’ areas (PMOA) at the Seat Unique Stadium, home of Gloucestershire County Cricket Club. The project will deliver vital infrastructure upgrades, future-proofing the venue for international cricket for over a decade.
The County Ground has been a centrepiece of Bristol’s sporting life since the 19th century. Today, it not only hosts County Championship fixtures but also international white-ball matches. However, the PMOA currently fall short of the England & Wales Cricket Board’s (ECB) standards required for international venues. Without investment, the stadium would risk losing its international status. This refurbishment ensures these facilities will exceed ECB regulations, guaranteeing Gloucestershire remains on the international cricket map well beyond 2031.
The refurbishment will deliver a step change in the quality of the Pavilion and PMOA facilities, with:
- Enlarged, international-standard dressing rooms to accommodate double-header fixtures.
- Construction of a mezzanine floor in the Bristol Cricket Centre to expand the PMOA.
- Gender-neutral changing facilities, toilets and showers, new enhanced physio, sports science and medical areas, and improved and enlarged spaces for DRS and match officials.
- Inclusive, wheelchair-accessible infrastructure for disability athletes.
- An extended players’ balcony and a permanent bridge to the outfield,
- Refurbishment of the Jessop Room for flexible year-round hospitality use.
Working with the wider consultant team, Skeletal will provide civil and structural engineering expertise to help deliver a phased programme of works, carefully planned around the cricket calendar so construction takes place during the “off-season.”
As civil and structural engineers, Skeletal will design and coordinate the structural works — from foundations, frames, and temporary works, through to drainage systems, external works, and retaining structures. The challenge is to balance sensitive interventions within a live stadium environment while ensuring that each phase integrates seamlessly into the long-term masterplan.
