Otago’s new stadium: finally, some character

Dunedin’s new Forsyth Barr Stadium, opened today by New Zealand Prime Minister John Key, is a ground purpose built for next month’s Rugby World Cup, at which it will host four matches. It replaces Carisbrook, the (in)famous arena known as ‘the House of Pain’ because of the physical nature of its residents, the Highlanders and the Otago regional team.

And it is quite a feat of architecture. Most new stadiums, in the UK at least, are taken from the same mould, soulless, faceless, bland – and the same. Look at the (relatively) recently-opened stadiums in Cardiff, Swansea, Leicester, Derby, Sunderland, Darlington, Middlesbrough, Southampton…

Stadiums need character. The House of Pain had that, and, albeit for different reasons, the Forsyth Barr Stadium will, too. Admittedly, it has succumbed to the other scourge of modern stadia – namely, the need to include a sponsor in its name.

Its plastic roof is made of the same substance as that of the Water Cube of Beijing Olympics fame, which gives a futuristic look to the ground that might seem somewhat out of place in its hilly surroundings. The translucency might also hinder the watching of the game, as the connectors will cast all sorts of lined shadow on the pitch.

And it remains to be seen whether the atmosphere will suffer from the closed-off, set-back nature of the stands, particularly those behind the goals. But even these concerns cannot detract from my appreciation of it as an arena – its unique nature might be something of a risk, but it also allows supporters to actively appreciate and admire the stadium, rather than see it as yet another generic, identikit piece of engineering.

The turnstiles at Carisbrook have worked their last shift