news SPORTS VENUE REDEVELOPMENT
York Racecourse unveils world class redevelopment by Phelan Architects
scale, with a stocks box and read access to both pre and post race activities. Working around the racing calendar,
the 2 and a half year project was com- pleted in two phases with the main equine facilities opening in May 2014. The second phase, which racegoers
York Racecourse, one of the best and most regarded racecourses in the UK, has undergone a £10 million redevelop- ment by Phelan Architects bringing it in line with some of the best equine facilities in the world. Home to the Welcome to Yorkshire
Ebor Festival, one of Europe’s leading racing festival premier handicap races, the racecourse attracts 330,000 race goers each year and the owners, trainers and jockeys of the world’s highest rated thoroughbreds. Phelan’s masterplan, driven by a need
for improved equine and racegoer experience of visiting York, is the first comprehensive redevelopment of the Northern end of the site since 1908. The scheme comprises a new weigh-in building, complete with a fine dining restaurant, new saddling boxes and a new pre-parade ring; improved vet and wash down facilities and extensive works to the Champagne lawns improving both the view and utility of the original grand- stand – the oldest sporting stand still in use in the world, the grade II listed John Carr Stand which dates from 1754 . Drawing on the materials of the
racecourse with a palette of brickwork, timber and slate, Phelan has separated the equine buildings into clusters to express their different functions while
organising them in a stable yard arrange- ment, built around the perimeter of the new larger, flatter pre-parade ring, to provide a familiar and calming environ- ment for the horses. The most
significant building
and largest single element, the two- story weigh-in building, is on the eastern boundary. Here, the ground floor has been
designed with a glazed cloister along its western side to afford views to the pre- parade ring and demonstrate some of the theatre of racing as the jockeys and offi- cials conduct their business. A timber construction differentiates the first floor whilst the roof is broken down into indi- vidual volumes to reflect the internal organization. Building forms are kept as simple shapes to minimize the scale and massing of the design and the main ele- vation, fronting onto the parade ring, incorporates a verandah with a decora- tive metalwork screen showing Yorkshire Roses and barber pole ribbon columns that provide a visible and recognisable motif of York Racecourse. Pre and post race activities are
separated to keep a very clear equine cir- culation with unsaddling taking place out of the public eye at the rear with equine showers around a dedicated wash down yard. Vet facilities are enhanced in
have enjoyed since May 2015 incorpo- rates a new owners and trainers entrance building, a new Möet Pavilion with roof terrace, and extensive works to the Champagne Lawn included the opening up and framing of the John Carr building. The first of its kind, the build- ing marked the start of a typology of grandstand buildings. Revealing and celebrating the historic building, Phelan’s scheme incorporates an oversailing lightweight canopy structure to provide weather protection to the terrace. James Brennan, head of marketing and
sponsorship at York Racecourse said: “As one of the most popular and oldest the- atres of British sport, it’s vital that we continue to invest in the appeal of York Racecourse and the experience it offers and so look to continue its success. By breathing new life into the northern end of the course, while retaining its historic character, Phelan’s scheme has ensured that we can continue to compete as a world-class sports venue ensuring the horse, the horseman and the racegoer are each given the best possible experience.”
‘Phelan’s scheme has ensured that we can continue to compete as a world-class sports venue’
James Brennan, head of marketing and sponsorship at York Racecourse
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