The Wembley Park Project

The Wembley Park project is a multi-billion-pound redevelopment plan, which has created a new neighbourhood for London that includes residential, commercial, and social space around one of the world’s most iconic Stadiums. The new Wembley Stadium has hosted a huge number of international sporting, music and public events since it was re-built and opened in 2007. 

Developer, Quintain, have used this famous venue as a catalyst to create London’s most exciting new neighbourhood.

Quintain have masterfully reinvigorated the 85-acre Wembley Park estate through provision of nearly 5,000 new homes to date, commercial space, London Designer Outlet, and new green space, with a real emphasis on place-making. The high-quality public realm, which sews the different sections of Wembley Park together, was key to creating the unique community vibe that both residents and the millions of visitors that pass through the park, experience and enjoy.

Marshalls’ engagement with Quintain on Wembley Park started in 2006 with Landscape Guardian and designers, Kirk Nelson and LDA Design. By working closely early on to advise on product selection, costs and sourcing, a site-wide design code was developed and adopted by Brent Council and Highways. From this, specifications were generated for the liveable streets, residential plots and public squares, gardens, and parks.
 
In 2016, Quintain secured permission for a revitalised Masterplan for the next phases at Wembley Park which included new outdoor spaces, transforming the way people would enjoy the public realm both on event day and every day. A huge part of this was the upgrade and transformation of Olympic Way, known to fans all over the world as ‘Wembley Way’. Ultimately Wembley Park will provide 8,500 homes, the majority of which will be for rent and a third of the total will be affordable.

Quintain recognised that they would need to engage with their wider supply-chain to ensure that cost, programme delivery and quality would be maintained through this unprecedented period of construction. This formed the rationale for seeking long established supply partners who had the capacity and experience to deliver a major project on this scale, in addition to ensuring they:
 

• Would actively engage and support their design and delivery teams with innovative and value-based solutions
• Would commit to long term availability of stocks and cost certainty for the duration
• Had outstanding sustainability credentials. 

Marshalls were able to meet these criteria from the outset and so, were proud to be appointed as a Key Supplier by Quintain in 2017. From this point on, we actively worked with Quintain, their designers, their delivery contractors, and their sub-contractors to fully map and understand each plot of the project in detail. Marshalls Major Projects specialists co-ordinated engagement with the client and their design and delivery teams, including:
 

• Developing a unique project mapping and programming solution to fully understand the requirements of each individual plot and section of works to ensure stock availability and that programmes were maintained.
• Creating a one-of-a-kind transparent pricing strategy which was highly successful in ensuring that cost-certainty was maintained for the entirety of the project.
• Assisting in the ethical sourcing and audited supply of granites from Europe and the Far East to provide Quintain and their designers with peace of mind in relation to the non-use of Modern Day Slavery, Child Labour or corruption.
• Advising on the cost-effective design of the correct landscape protection products to keep residents and visitors safe when using the public realm, including our RhinoBlok Seating and RhinoGuard® Shallow Mount Bollards.
• Supporting the design of surface water systems to drain Olympic Way.

Setting foot on Olympic Way from Wembley Park tube station, there is no mistaking the investment in place-making, in the quality of design and the quality of products that went into this project. 

Marshalls supplied a wide catalogue of products from across its Commercial business, including high quality concrete and natural stone paving, bespoke stone water features, kerbs, drainage and landscape protection and street furniture products. Read on to discover some of the different areas of Wembley Park.  

 

Olympic Way

Olympic Way is the main artery that runs through the Wembley Park Development, starting at Wembley Park Station. First launched in 1948 for the London Olympic Games, Olympic Way has had various makeovers through the years. This pedestrianised route forms the iconic walk for spectators heading with anticipation for Wembley Stadium. Stretching all the way to the world- famous venue it also branches off to mixed-used developments of residential buildings (predominantly Build to Rent homes through Quintain Living), shops, offices, and social spaces. 

The previous design of Wembley Park saw 90,000 visitors descend on this remote corner of London approximately 30 times a year, and for the rest of the time the permanent residents had to coexist with an ageing and dormant infrastructure in need of revitalisation. 

The future Olympic Way needed to deliver a functional and safe space for daily use by local residents while also creating the unique Wembley “buzz” on the approach to the Stadium for visitors. Quintain wished to develop a sense of place and community for those who experience the day-to-day at Wembley, therefore Olympic Way, designed by Dixon Jones, championed this philosophy. 

The bustle of Olympic way now doesn’t stop at the previous Wembley Stadium ramp but goes right up to the shadow of the stadium and newly installed steps. This created more public space for local residents to enjoy.
Dixon Jones worked with Marshalls’ design experts on the product selection during the design phase. They wanted to push the boundaries of design by installing the granite paving flexibly, an uncommon practice that is rarely seen in the UK. Following trials with our natural stone to provide a solution, we supported Dixon Jones with this concept and supplied product to their specification. 


Did you know?

To keep the structural integrity of Olympic Way, without spoiling its sharp, clean look, Marshalls Elara granite was sawn but still laid unbound. The sides of the sawn granite were sandblasted, improving its adherence to jointing sand which would otherwise dissipate on the smooth cut faces. This innovative solution not only looks and performs great but is quick and easy to maintain, without the costs associated with accessing and maintaining bound systems.


Following the successful trial, Marshalls supplied Tarvos Granite, Tegula Pennant Grey, Conservation X Kerb and Birco 100 Channel Drainage for the entire length of Olympic Way, resulting in an inviting thoroughfare for one of the UK’s most popular event destinations.

 

Olympic Steps

The new steps form the culmination of Olympic Way and also act as the main approach to the National Stadium replacing the concrete pedestrian ramp, which was originally built in 1974 to provide a route over an old coach park. In the new Wembley Park, the ramp looked dated and unsightly and divided the neighbourhood in two halves.

The brand new steps and elevators, designed by Dixon Jones, provide a fitting and safe new route for crowds to enter and exit the National Stadium, as well as offering new public realm areas for residents and visitors to enjoy.

The developer, Quintain, brought together designer Dixon Jones, contractor, VolkerFitzpatrick, the Belgian pre-caster, Decomo and Marshalls to assist in the final design, supply, offsite manufacture, and installation of the new Stadium steps.

Marshalls Callisto silver grey and Prospero mid grey granites were selected for the steps and landing areas.
The client, designer and the delivery teams were invited to inspect and approve samples and to verify our supply chain credentials. Marshalls and Decomo worked collaboratively to devise a sophisticated logistics and delivery plan.

Granite components were cast to stair flights and landing panels which included casting in provision for handrailing and lighting. The completed staircase was then shipped to London and craned into position like a jigsaw piece within a matter of hours.

Manufacturing the complete units off-site and within a managed environment had many benefits including reducing on-site activity, minimising damages, and construction errors as well as waste on site and assisting the delivery timescale of the overall programme.

The final result is a new and safe yet striking and iconic entranceway to the National Stadium, set to be used by excited spectators and visitors for many years to come.

 

Residential Spaces

Epitomising the ideal place to live was always at the forefront of Quintain’s vision for Wembley Park. Alongside the iconic National Stadium, there is now a new neighbourhood of nearly 5,000 homes to date, offices, shops, and parks. The prioritisation of social wellbeing was clear from the offset, and can be seen wherever you look, from the green spaces to the pedestrianised public areas that run throughout this development. 

A number of architects had a hand in the different landscaping pockets of Wembley Park and though each is individualistic, these plots always referred to the Marshalls pallet of paving and were reviewed by the landscape architect guardians, LDA Design ensuring a cohesive feel overall.