SSDA 2026: New home for the Toffees

Sat on Liverpool’s River Mersey waterfront, Everton’s new stadium has reinvigorated a semi-derelict site less than two miles north of the famous Royal Liver Building, while also acting as a catalyst for further regeneration of the area.

The fully accessible ground has been designed with a “Football First” approach that includes having the seats as close to the pitch as current regulations permit, in order to enhance the fan experience.

To this end, the stadium’s design incorporates four interlinked rectangular stands (the ground’s four corners are infilled with further seats), which are topped by a continuous cantilevering roof.

The sweeping, low-profile barrel roof, which responds to the industrial character of the surrounding maritime buildings, is said to define the stadium.

Structural steelwork made this geometry possible, creating long, column-free spans over the seating, while maintaining a slender roof profile. Glazed openings at the
north and south ends reinforce the roof’s strong east-west orientation and provide views towards the city and river.

A series of steel trusses, which cantilever by up to 50m, form the roof above the east and west stands. The roofs above the north and south stands are formed by parallel east-west trusses spanning up to 175m.

Together, these truss elements create a coherent structural response to the barrel-shaped enclosure, providing the strength and flexibility required to realise its complex geometry.

The efficient truss depths and high-strength S460 steel reduced the roof’s dead load,
while maintaining the required structural performance. Detailed analysis of loading, pre-camber and deflection allowed the steelwork to remain slender despite the substantial spans.

Efficiency was refined through design development, contractor engagement and detailed assessment of loading requirements. The completed roof structure weighs 130kg/m², including purlins and cladding rails measured across its plan area. Between RIBA Stages 3 and 4, optimisation removed 900t of steel from the roof design, representing an embodied carbon reduction of 2,200tCO₂e.

The scale and movement of the roof required the fabrication model to account for both its design geometry and its pre-set position during construction. As each grid line had a different predicted deflection, the steel model was effectively developed twice: first at the final design level and again at the pre-set level required for fabrication and erection. This ensured the roof achieved the intended geometry after deflecting under its own weight.

The north and south roof trusses were pre-assembled and erected in sections up to 60m long, with some weighing more than 90t. Complex temporary works and jacking arrangements held each section at its calculated pre-set height before controlled de-jacking allowed the steelwork to move into its permanent position.

The east and west roof structures presented a different erection challenge. Twelve trusses on each side cantilever from the stands, with the barrel form wrapping around the rear of the roof towards the terraces. The cantilevered portions were divided into three pre-assembled lifts, while the curved barrel was erected in smaller sections. Movement was monitored throughout construction, allowing adjustments to maintain the required accuracy.

Produced by BCSA and Steel for Life in association with Construction Management.