HOK Sport designed the stadium, with Populous as architect since 2009. BuroHappold was the structural and services engineer. Arsenal bought the Ashburton Grove industrial estate in 2000, about 1,480 feet (450 m) from Highbury, and Islington Council approved the development on December 10, 2001. Groundbreaking was in February 2004, at a cost of 390 million pounds.
The stadium opened on July 22, 2006, with Dennis Bergkamp's testimonial against Ajax. Its four-tiered bowl has translucent polycarbonate roofing over the stands but not the pitch. Four welded tubular steel triangular trusses carry the roof, and two span 656 feet (200 m) north to south. The upper tier is contoured and the roof canted inward to admit air and sunlight.
Seated capacity is 60,704. The pitch measures 115 by 74 yards (105 by 68 m). Highbury became the apartment complex Highbury Square.
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