Herzog & de Meuron has won the contract to develop a masterplan for Lords cricket ground, it was confirmed on Tuesday.BD reported last week that the Pritzker Prize winning Swiss practice was hotly tipped to win the £200 million pound contract. The firm beat competition from BDP, David Chipperfield Architects, Dixon Jones and Hopkins Architects. Underthe masterplan, the ground’s capacity is set to increase by 11,500 to40,000 with the existing Compton, Edrich, Warner, Allen and Tavernstands supplanted by lectern-style edifices, according to a report inthe Times.The existing treeline would be protected, and theexterior of the Victorian pavilion opened up. Planning permission wouldbe sought for six sets of floodlights.Herzog & de Meuronwill work this summer on delivering a detailed briefing on theproject`s cricketing and logistical requirements. Theselection process was managed by a panel chaired by John Egan and alsocomprising MCC chief executive David Batts, LSE professor RickyBurdett, property investor Charles Rifkind, and Tate director NicholasSerota, and assisted by the Architecture Foundation. Egan said the appointment would help ensure Lords remained the “home of cricket”. Headded: "This was a tough decision – all five practices presented to thehighest standards. However Herzog & de Meuron stood out for us witha combination of masterplanning expertise, sports credentials andexciting stand design concepts."Formed in 1978 by Jacques Herzogand Pierre de Meuron, the firm is perhaps best known for its The BirdsNest project for the Beijing Olympics in addition to UK schemes such asTate Modern and its extension, and a stadium and seafront developmentfor Portsmouth Football Club."We are absolutely delighted tohave been appointed," said Harry Gugger, partner at Herzog & deMeuron. "It is a fabulous project and we are completely thrilled to bea part of it. We relish the challenge of combining the best aspects ofLords with new ideas to create the future for the home of cricket."
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