Everton stadium chief Colin Chong has explained why supporters will see things 'slowing down from an external perspective' at the club’s new Bramley-Moore Dock stadium during 2023.
Throughout the last 12 months, Everton’s new stadium on the banks of the River Mersey has started to take shape. When 2022 began, Bramley-Moore Dock had only just been infilled with sand, with the first overground structure in the North West core having gone up.
But fast forward to the start of 2023 and the site has been transformed - and the shape of Everton Stadium is now clear for all to see. But in an update to supporters, Chong has detailed why the development is set to enter a transformative phase in 2023, with work ramping up on the internal works.
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“I think we should just warn spectators that in 2023 it will look like things are slowing down from an external perspective,” he said.
“A big milestone that people will want to see is the east stand steelwork that will fill in the gap between the north and south steelwork.
“However, it will slow down externally, although internally it’s going to be a hive of activity. In real terms, the fit-out is starting in January, when we will start putting all the wires and piping in.
“People won’t notice it as much, as it’s internal, but it’s equally as important to the stadium development as the roof going up.”
The club have also revealed that all mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) systems in the stadium will be manufactured off-site in the Oldbury (West Midlands) factory of Laing O’Rourke’s specialist MEP business, Crown House Manufacturing. While the six-foot high modules and an innovative product called Techwall, will be delivered to site, lifted into place, connected and commissioned, in an approach that helps save time and energy.
“There are life-safe systems, resilience to be planned, and all the toilets on the concourses will be coming in in modules, pre-manufactured,” Chong continued.
“The pipework will arrive pre-manufactured, tested in the factory, and be offered up and connected, so there are less connections throughout the whole building. There’s less welding, so less risk of fire and it’s the modern way of building things.
“Again, we’ll be working on all four concourses simultaneously, along with the hospitality lounges starting, probably in March.
“The skeleton of the dressing rooms is already in place (in the west stand). We’ve got the pit for the hydrotherapy pools and all the apertures for all the incoming services.
“There are hundreds of miles of beer pythons that have to go in at some point and they’ll all start to go in next year. We ramp up with people and we’ll end up with 1,000 people there next year and probably up to around 1,400 on site the year after.
“There’s a whole host of things going to happen this year, but not a lot of people are going to notice it because it’s going to be hidden.”
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