Fulham Football Club - Craven Cottage

Fulham is the oldest of the ten London Premier League football clubs. Founded in 1879 by the Reverend John Henry to offer the young workers of the neighborhood an alternative to less healthy temptations, since 1896 it has had its home in the mythical Craven Cottage.

The site and the club have evolved dramatically since. Located on the banks of the River Thames, very close to the refined London neighborhoods of Chelsea, Kensington and Chiswick, the stadium is one of the main tourist attractions of the London capital due to its significance in the history of football, and its extraordinary location on the banks of the Thames.

The south-western part of the British capital is now undergoing an ambitious redevelopment plan that includes the demolition and new construction of the legendary Riverside Stand, adjacent to England's most important river. The scheme is being led by the club itself, appointing Buckingham Group as main contractor and Populus as its lead architect. As part of the wider scheme, an URSA specification has been made to ensure all thermal and acoustic targets are met.

The project will see the redevelopment and expansion of the current Riverside Stand to increase its capacity from 4,689 to 8,650 whilst increasing the overall capacity of Craven Cottage to 29,600 seats. Creation of a new public riverside walk as well as new restaurants, cafés, bars, corporate hospitality and event space forms an important part of the scheme. Below ground, a new basement will provide ‘back of house’ facilities, club and lounge area whilst nine serviced apartments will be made available on site.

Partnering with distributor, Encon and liaising directly with the installation team at Grant Plastering, the project used URSA TERRA glass wool slabs to insulate the ceilings and soffits. Normally used behind rainscreen cladding systems, URSA WALLTEC 32B was chosen because of its class leading thermal conductivity of 0.032 W/mK, acoustic performance and ease of installation.

In addition to the low thermal conductivity, the slabs have exceptional acoustic absorption and are non-combustible (Euroclass A1), so they do not contribute to the propagation of fire, an advantage that is fundamental in an installation of this type, designed to house thousands of people.

Another noteworthy aspect is the sustainability that they bring to the buildings in which they are installed, and which are recognized by the most prestigious European certifications. URSA's range of glass wool insulation products are completely recyclable and use less energy in their manufacture, transport and installation. 

Ian Claydon, URSA UK Technical Manager, commented; “This is an incredibly important development for the capital that sees a huge amount of investment in one of the UK’s oldest football clubs. The site location and wider ambitions of the project make this an incredibly exciting development to be part of.

“We have worked closely with the project managers technical team and installers to ensure they made the very best specification. Opting for one of our core products, we have managed to fulfil all of their wider needs in terms of the insulation specification.”

The works will include an increase in capacity and new amenities, but also seek to enhance the space for residents, fans and tourists, with a public promenade running along the banks of the Thames, commercial spaces and new meeting rooms underneath the grandstand.