The West Stand Players’ Area project comprised the comprehensive refurbishment of the Level 1 players’ facilities within the West Stand at Twickenham Stadium. Forming part of the wider Twickenham Stadium Upgrade Programme, the works were developed with the RFU’s elite training staff and coaching team to create modern, high-performance facilities ahead of the 2015 Rugby World Cup.

The project upgraded the home and away changing rooms, secondary and performance changing facilities, match officials’ areas, medical and drug-testing accommodation, and associated player circulation spaces. The enhanced England dressing room and players’ tunnel incorporated bespoke finishes, inspirational themes and team messaging, strengthening the identity of England Rugby and creating a focused environment for players before and after international matches.

We were appointed as Project Managers, leading the design and construction teams from design inception through to handover and operation. Extensive stakeholder engagement was required to coordinate the needs of players, coaches, performance, medical, operational and media teams. The project also interfaced closely with new mechanical, electrical and utility infrastructure and wider technology upgrades being delivered through parallel stadium workstreams.

Delivery took place within a live, operational stadium and was governed by immovable international fixture dates. Careful phasing, recovery programming, extended working and rigorous change control were used to manage existing-condition discoveries, specialist equipment, commissioning dependencies and late design requirements. The facilities were successfully completed in time for the 2013 Autumn Internationals, supporting Twickenham’s preparations for the 2015 Rugby World Cup.