S1 : Stadium Roof

Design Design
Decisions

P1

What are the 6

biggest Stadiums in
the UK?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
P2

Wembley
Twickenham
Old Trafford
Millennium stadium
Murrayfield
Emirates

Capacity
90,000
82,000
76,000
74,500
67,800
60,400

Wembley
Location

: London

Home to

: National Football, Rugby Challenge Cup,

2012 Olympics, Music Concerts

Capacity

: 90,000

The Arch is 315m long and is

the longest single roof
structure in the world
At 133m high the London Eye
can fit underneath it.
http://blog.fanfaktor.de

The arch allows part of the roof to be retracted allowing

additional sunlight to the pitch between matches.
P3

Twickenham
Location

: London

Home to

: Englands Rugby Football Union

Capacity

: 82,000
= 1025 full Double Decker buses
Originally built in 1909
Renovated 5 times to
increase capacity and
usage during the off season
Roof Structure is a free
hanging cantilevered roof.

Copyright Realistic Photo Graphics Ltd

P4

Old Trafford
Location

: Manchester

Home to

: Manchester United FC

Capacity

: 76,000

Built in

: 1910

The capacity has been

steadily increased from
40,000 in 1989 by
filling in the corners
with seating.

Copyright Manchester Premier Action

The stadium is know as The Theatre of Dreams.

P5

Millennium Stadium
Location

: Cardiff

Home to
: The Welsh Rugby
Union, The Football
Association, The Football
League, The Football
Association of Wales and the
British Speedway Association.
copyright top secret drum
corps

Capacity

: 74,500

Built in
: 1999
First retractable roof in the UK.
Opening/closing time of 20 minutes.
27000m2 of fixed roof.
8960m2 of closing roof.
P6

Murrayfield
Location

: Edinburgh

Home to

: Scottish Rugby

Capacity

: 67,800

Built in

: 1925

The cold climate meant that the ground often froze.

The first under pitch heating was installed in the form
of an electric blanket in 1959. Total cost 10,000.
Upgraded for 1991 World Cup by a new heated system
of hot water pipes. Total cost 250,000.
P7

Emirates
Location

: London

Home to

: Arsenal FC

Capacity

: 60,400

Built in

: 2006

Had to replace Highbury as there was little room for

expansion.
Sloping roof encourages as much sunlight and airflow
to the pitch as possible whilst maintaining an
exhilarating atmosphere.

P8

Construction was completed ahead of schedule and on

budget.

Client Brief Exercise

Divide into the 3 clients for a new
premiership football club stadium;
Spectators
Owners/Operators
Participants

Discuss the needs and wants of your

particular group.
Formulate a brief for the stadium
designer and present your brief to the
rest of the class.
P9

Roof Types
Goal Post structures;
Best suited for rectangular Stadia
Cheap
Stands
Needs regular Maintenance

Roof

Cantilever Structure;
Useful for continuous bowl-shaped
Tie-down the
structures and isolated stands weight of the roof
Unobstructed view
Can appear tall and intimidating
from the outside

Single
Girder

Roof

Stands

P10

Roof Types
Space Frame Structure;
Can create dramatic shapes
Capable of spanning large
distances
Expensive
Tension Structure;
Carries tension forces
through cables and covered
with fabric
Festive and light in
appearance
Requires sophisticated
design

P11

Al Ain Stadium

Olympiastadion Muenchen

Grass Pitches
Grass needs ample light, air movement and strict
controls over its humidity & temperature to ensure
healthy growth.
The degree of enclosure effects the amount of sunlight
and air that reaches the grass.
Flexible, multi-use stadiums will have a way to either
remove the grass or cover it up so music concerts can
take place.
A permanently or partly roofed stadium can increase
the quality of the playing surface through use of a
Roll-In/Roll-out pitch
Pitch on jacks, allowing it to be raised
Retractable roof
Partly, or completely translucent roof covering
P12

Environmental Factors
Visual Impact
Flexibility

Stadiums which stand dormant for almost half the

year are not sustainable structures.
Multi-use stadiums have a much better impact on
the surrounding area and also generate more
income.

Design Life

Incorporate possible expansion options into design.

Use of materials
Maintenance

Incorporate a strategy early on to prevent wastage.

Lighting
P13

Optimise the amount of daylight into the structure.

Distribute floodlights evenly.

Design Decisions
Exercise
Re-group into a design team made up
of at least one from each client group.
By choosing one option from
Degree of enclosure
Roof Type
Pitch system
Roof Covering
Optimise the value you are adding to the
stadium above the cost.
P14