Industry News

Everton stadium architect praises “passionate” fan input

Dan Meis, the lead architect on Everton’s new stadium project, has spoken about how the “passionate” input from fans of the English Premier League football club is helping him to design the stadium.

Last week, the Liverpool-based club launched a 51-question survey about the new venue as part of an effort to harness fan opinion and ensure that the facility meets their requirements.

Meis, who is based in California in the US, has visited the city a number of times to make initial plans, and said that hearing what fans have to say is helping him to come up with a vision for the stadium.

“I’ve been to Liverpool a number of times throughout the project and had the opportunity to meet Evertonians face-to-face,” Meis said. “It would be easy for people to be sceptical or critical but everyone is excited and everyone has really been supportive in bringing true passion and ideas to it.

“That’s what makes this unique – it’s not just a building for a football club, it’s a home for every one of those people and for generations of their families to come.”

Evertonians with a club customer number have until 5pm tomorrow (Friday) to complete the survey and offer their opinion on the new stadium, which will be in the Bramley-Moore Dock of the city.

Meis added: “We’ve seen a lot of new buildings become very large, bloated and modern – yes; exciting – yes; spectacular – yes; but losing the intimacy and power of the experience of sitting as close to the pitch and as on top of the players as you can get. That has been the vision for the ultimate building.

“We have this incredible site on the river and the opportunity to do something that’s architecturally iconic and bring those two things together.

“I think we have the opportunity to do something that hasn’t been done in any of the new buildings in the Premier League, and that’s a really incredible opportunity.”

Image: Everton