Everton Football Club’s new 52,888 seater stadium, set along the historic banks of the River Mersey, Liverpool, is nearing completion and is expected to open its doors for the 2025/2026 football season. This world-class stadium is a testament to modern engineering, utilising cutting-edge construction techniques and the expertise from industry-leading companies including, Laing O’Rourke, Banagher Precast Concrete and Explore Manufacturing. Each company played a crucial role in delivering this iconic project, which blends sustainable practices, digital precision and innovative building methods.
Laing O’Rourke: Main Contractor and Project Lead
As the main contractor, Laing O’Rourke has overseen the entire stadium construction since being appointed by Everton Football Club in February 2020. With a £555 million project budget, Laing O'Rourke has leveraged its extensive experience in delivering complex sports infrastructure. The company’s expertise in managing large-scale, intricate builds has been essential in maintaining both the ambitious timeline and budget.
From the early stages of development, the team worked closely with Everton Football Club to refine the stadium’s design, navigating complex planning processes and coordinating with local authorities. Their integrated approach, supported by an in-house supply chain, allowed them to efficiently respond to the challenges posed by the stadium’s unique dockside location. Laing O'Rourke's contribution is evident in the detailed preservation of historical features, including the Grade II listed dock wall and the stabilisation of the site's hydraulic tower, demonstrating their commitment to heritage alongside modern development.
Banagher Precast Concrete: Tailored Precast Solutions
Banagher Precast Concrete, a leader in precast concrete manufacturing, supplied critical structural elements for the Everton Stadium. They provided bespoke double-step terracing units and other key precast components. The company's advanced manufacturing capabilities ensured that the components were produced to exacting specifications and delivered on time.
The terracing units, produced offsite in Banagher’s Irish facilities, were shipped directly to Liverpool, minimising on-site construction time and labour. These double-step units were engineered specifically for Everton’s stadium to create the perfect balance between durability, safety and spectator experience.
By manufacturing the components offsite, Banagher Precast significantly reduced construction waste and improved quality control, key aspects of the project’s sustainability efforts. Their partnership with Laing O'Rourke exemplifies how offsite construction methods can drive both efficiency and sustainability in large-scale developments.
Explore Manufacturing: Precision and Innovation in Precast Components
Explore Manufacturing, another vital player in the project, brought its specialised capabilities in offsite manufacturing to the Everton Stadium build. As part of Laing O'Rourke’s in-house supply chain, Explore Manufacturing was responsible for producing a wide range of precast elements, including structural beams, columns and cladding systems, which formed the stadium's structural backbone.
Explore Manufacturing’s precision-driven approach leveraged cutting-edge technologies and Design for Manufacturing and Assembly (DfMA) principles. By producing components offsite and ensuring meticulous quality control, Explore Manufacturing helped streamline the construction process, reducing on-site complexities and minimising disruption to the surrounding area. Their contributions were integral to achieving the project’s ambitious timelines while maintaining the highest standards of safety and durability.
Collaborative Approach: Leveraging MMC, DfMA, and BIM
The collaboration between Laing O’Rourke, Banagher Precast Concrete and Explore Manufacturing is a prime example of how modern methods of construction (MMC) and digital innovations like Building Information Modelling (BIM) can enhance both the efficiency and sustainability of large projects. BIM was crucial in the planning and execution of the Everton Stadium, enabling digital visualisation of every stage of construction. This minimised risks, improved project management, and provided a digital blueprint for future maintenance or upgrades.
By employing DfMA principles, all three companies ensured that large components could be fabricated offsite to precise specifications and assembled with minimal waste and maximum efficiency. This approach was critical in meeting the stadium’s tight deadlines, particularly in the context of a complex, dockside construction environment.
Sustainability and Legacy
Beyond its impressive structural design, Everton Football Stadium stands as a model of sustainable construction and community engagement. Its location, just a short distance from Liverpool’s city centre, allows fans to walk or take public transport to matches, reducing the carbon footprint of game-day travel. Laing O'Rourke, Banagher Precast Concrete, and Explore Manufacturing all worked with local organisations to create jobs, provide skills training and engage with the local community throughout the construction process.
The site’s transformation from a historic dock to a world-class stadium has been carefully managed with sustainability in mind. Initial groundwork, including the infilling of the dock with 450,000 cubic meters of sand dredged from the Irish Sea, was conducted with a minimal environmental impact. Marine life was carefully relocated and heritage structures were preserved, ensuring that the project respected both the natural environment and the historical significance of the site.