StoneX Stadium entrance adorned with living green wall

StoneX Stadium, home to Saracens Rugby Club, sits nestled in beautiful green surroundings in North London’s NW4 postcode (UK). This state-of-the-art stadium has been designed and built to blend seamlessly into its stunning environment. On the outside, a living green wall adorns the towering entrance. Green Level Design Ltd served as the consultation and installation partner on this project.

Innovative MobiPanel green wall system

The MobiPanel living wall was built, planted, and installed in June 2022. Our MobiPanel system has been specially developed for future-proof and sustainable construction. The corrosion-resistant profiles can be installed both horizontally and vertically, depending on the format and layout of the backing wall. The profiles provide a supporting structure for the plant cassettes, and the plants take up water from the internal water buffer through capillary microfiber textile. An automated irrigation and drainage system ensures an even supply of water and fertilizer. The StoneX wall contains 620 planted cassettes containing several species and varieties of plants, including Heucheras, Geranium, Lonicera, Campanula, and Bergina. All plants were selected to increase diversity, provide year-round color and interest, and attract pollinators.

Building blends into its natural surrounding

Dee Laverty, director of Green Level Design, shared her thoughts on the project: “Because the stadium sits within a park and a very green recreational space, we wanted to ensure the building was as sympathetic to its surroundings as possible. The green wall increases biodiversity, as well as being aesthetically pleasing. In addition to the new wall, we have two wildflower meadow areas, and the planting chosen across the site is high in native plants to ensure it is insect and pollinator-friendly.”
The building also has a rainwater harvesting system, air source and ground source heat pumps (ASHP/GSHP), solar panels, bat boxes, reed beds, hedgehog boxes. and insect habitats, all of which have resulted in it obtaining a BREEAM rating of ‘Very Good’. “

Collaboration with partners

Mobilane only works with official partners who have excellent horticultural knowledge — and Green Level Design certainly meets those criteria. Dee Laverty comments: “We have worked with Mobilane products before on various projects, and we have a good relationship with them. We also work well with the professional installers, who are always knowledgeable and friendly, with real attention to detail.
We are very pleased with the result. The response to the wall has been very positive. It acts a brilliant feature at the entrance to this Premiership Rugby ground and Middlesex University. It is a great talking point, and visitors love it.”

Community purpose building

The architecture of the stadium is enhanced by state-of-the-art audio and visual technology, including giant TV screens, LED banners on stands and entrances, and pitch-perfect sound. As well as serving as the home of Saracens, the StoneX Stadium provides conferencing and events spaces with state-of-the-art facilities. The athletics track and indoor athletics training center also enable the stadium to support a wide range of community initiatives, including free use of the facilities for local schools, Love to Move — a physical activity club for the older generation — a sports club for children and young people with autism, and a vocational training center for local young people.