Us Designers nets stadium interiors

Us Designers will this week present final concepts for retail and leisure interiors at football club Sporting Lisbon’s new stadium, in a project worth in the region of €1.5m (about £1m) in fees to the group.

Sporting Lisbon’s stadium, designed by Portuguese architect Tomas Taveira, is part of a move by the club to capitalise on the Euro 2004 tournament, which will be hosted in Portugal. In addition to retail space, it also features a residential zone, museum and health centre.

The group’s work encompasses ‘complete interior architecture’ at the stadium’s 9600m2 family entertainment centre and movie lounge, which will include shopping, cinema, bar and restaurant areas in addition to recreational facilities.

According to Us Designers design director Richard Brett, Sporting Lisbon is hoping to build additional revenue streams as it seeks to cement its place as one of Europe’s big name clubs.

The group’s work on the project encompasses layout design, ‘feel and styling’, furniture and environmental graphics, says Brett.

Briefed to create interiors for a target audience of 14to 25-yearolds, the group has designed ‘clean, modern but soft’ interiors that are a ‘cross between Niketown and Bluewater’, he adds.

The scheme avoids references to football and the club’s colours to ensure it appeals to a broad audience including fans, non-football enthusiasts and supporters of rival club Benfica.

The group was appointed in February after a three-way pitch against local Portuguese consultancies. The work launches on 26 August when Sporting Lisbon play Manchester United.