Lords To Get A Refurbished New Look (04 Nov 1995)

Grand new look for Lord's

An aerofoil roof and retractable sunshade flaps which will hang off a single central mast will be the features of the new Grand Stand at Lord's. The old grand stand, much venerated, holds little attraction for those who have to sit in it for hours though an architectural grandee of the day had thought it up in the '20s. The one feature that the architect, Sir Herbert Baker, left was the famous Old Father Time weathervane. Nicholas Grimshaw, the new architect, will now be hoping to blend modernity with the ancient virtues of the game. As a concession to time and tradition he has already planned to install Old Father Time on the central mast.

A spanking new stand can be expected to be ready for the World Cup final which Lord's will host in 1999. Modern design may be frowned upon at a place they call the cathedral of cricket but a stadium must reflect or enhance the surroundings, especially because people spend so much time at the cricket whereas in football they would be at the stadium for a couple of hours at the most. A well made sports stadium can be expected to achieve something of a cultural rating as much as opera houses, concert halls, art galleries and museums do.

Architects may find the spatial diagram of a game of cricket and the oval shape of its fields of action far more complex than the rectilinear design of football. A cricket stadium is a huge architectural challenge. The Melbourne Cricket Ground's astonishing Great Southern Stand is, perhaps, the greatest modern tribute to an ancient game. The new stand at Lord's may not be that spectacular but it should blend better with the varied skyline of Lord's with its tent-roofed Mound Stand on the St. John's Wood Road side and the open Compton and Edrich stands at the Nursery End. Arguably, Lord's will look better soon though the traditionalists may not agree.

Source :: The Hindu