The Kia Oval, London

A new formal entrance for The Kia Oval, designed to embody tradition while meeting the needs of a contemporary sports ground, its visitors and the local community.

The portico celebrates the original fabric of the existing pavilion, replacing previous inappropriate interventions with ones that pay suitable homage to the site’s history, existing materials and detailing, elevating the experience of the building for both visitors and neighbours and improving the link between the club and its neighbours.

The Kia Oval has been home to the Surrey County Cricket Club since its foundation in 1845. It sits within the historic manor of Kennington, one of London’s oldest estates and a property that falls under the Duchy of Cornwall, a long-term client and collaborator of ADAM Architecture.

The existing red brick pavilion was constructed in a jaunty Victorian style at the end of the 19th century and has been faithfully retained as the club has expanded. Unintentionally, it has contributed to an overall disconnect with the surrounding streets, exacerbated by an excess of surplus space beneath the stands that has invited antisocial behaviour.

A former administrative area and a 1960s building that once housed a pub and banqueting suite have both been transformed by the new four-storey brick and stone portico, which engages with the form, detail and proportions of the existing pavilion building. The use of Bath stone is repeated, together with a specially commissioned blend of handmade orange brick from EH Smith builders’ merchants.

Two new staircases transport visitors into a Corinthian portico contained by column capitals with a carved feather design. These were designed by sculptor Charles Gurrey and inspired by the Prince of Wales’s three feather badge, which the Surrey County Cricket Club shares. Meanwhile, urns on the gate piers reference the one that held the ashes from the infamous match won by Australia at The Oval in 1882.

At the front, the Hobbs Gate designed by Louis de Soissons has been placed on the axis with the new portico.

In 2015 the project won the 5-star award in the category of Best Leisure Architecture at the UK Property Awards, and also received a Merit award at the CNU (Congress for the New Urbanism) Charter Awards.