Futurecity was appointed to devise a radical new cultural placemaking strategy for the scheme surrounding the iconic Wembley Stadium. As the largest build to rent development site in the UK in an otherwise suburban borough, it required a vision that offers a sense of place in a rapidly changing, monumental environment and a cultural identity that could shift perceptions of Wembley to a confident new Creative District.

To achieve this, Futurecity worked across Quintain’s teams to challenge how they saw their site, flipping the masterplan on its head and viewing Olympic Way as a cultural spine, feeding into a series of distinct creative neighbourhoods. A set of 5 cultural principles and 3 cross-cutting themes based on Wembley’s unique music, sport and cultural heritage, cultural assets and development ambitions provided a framework for cultural programming, commissions and partnerships, that together could establish a new Creative District for London.

On the back of the Culture and Placemaking Strategy, Futurecity was asked to develop a further Public Art Strategy (2017) to help shape the vision into an integrated framework for public art commissioning. The strategy lays out a structure for the briefing, commissioning and review of permanent and temporary installations.

The Implementation Plan (2018-20) drew together commercial, development, marketing and design teams under a unified vision and governance structure. This led to key initiatives including the first music and events-focused Boxpark, artist studios created in partnership with Second Floor Studios, a permanent creative community facility at the Yellow, a new theatre in partnership with Troubadour Theatre, an new cultural venue at The Corner, embedded outdoor performance infrastructure throughout Olympic Way and the wider site, and a regular year-round programme of publicly-accessible events.

In 2019, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) and Quintain announced a major partnership that will see the Orchestra move its headquarters to Wembley Park, a major milestone in the transformation of Wembley Park into a new cultural neighbourhood for North West London, with music at its heart. The partnership was brokered by Futurecity, who helped both parties develop a shared vision to establish a creative hub bringing together education, community outreach, performance, digital projects and administration in a single location.