|
Soccer City Stadium
|
The form of its new roof is inspired by an African calabash, a symbol for African rural life and the most recognizable object to represent what people all over the world would automatically associate with the African Continent. At the same time it symbolizes the “melting pot of African cultures”. This design by Boogertman & Partner, with Bob van Bebber and Piet Boer as a lead team, was selected from a series of concepts in 2006.
It is situated in the outskirts of Soweto, at Nasrec, where it sits on a raised podium on top of which a “pit of fire” is located. The pot sits in a depression which is the “pit of fire” as it if were being naturally fired.
The refurbishment of the stadium went along with a significant upgrade of the surrounding neighbourhood. South of the stadium a transportation hub and a pedestrian mall have been constructed, new roads, parks and walkways were built and new lighting, signage, surveillance cameras and public amenities were installed.
The construction work conducted on the existing stadium was actually a revamping that consisted in a partial demolition, extension, rebuilding and refurbishment.
The scope of works included the following actions:
- The old stadium was partially demolished
- The existing grandstand was upgraded.
- The grandstand all around the stadium was extended in order to increase the seating capacity to 88 958.
- New offices and changing rooms were constructed.
- The lower embankment was rebuilt to improve view lines and comfort
- The upper part of the lower embankment was raised to form a secondary tier, making it a 3 tiered stadium
- The main lower concourse constitutes the access to lower and upper embankment, the skybox levels and upper tiers are accessible via 8 tree dimensional ramp structures built inside the façade
- A new players’ tunnel and basement were added
- A new, fully clad roof envelops the stadium, containing modern lighting
- The stadium is equipped with new PA systems and big screens
Roof
The new roof is cantilevered from an impressive triangular spatial ring truss, covered by a sand-coloured PTFE membrane resembling the shades of the sandy mine dumps. The bottom of the truss is covered with a perforated PTFE mesh membrane, creating a smooth under-slung ceiling. 12 off shutter concrete shafts, each 40 m high, support the triangle spatial ring truss. These shafts are subjected to huge tension and compressive forces, therefore they are provided with tension piles anchored in the bedrock.
The choice of concrete for the bulk of the structure was taken to match with the existing structural profile so as to enable all pre-cast units to be made on site. This way costs and lead times of a structural steel framework could be improved.
Façade
Thousands of glass-fibre reinforced concrete panels in 8 different colours and 2 textures make up the external façade. Fit together in a patchwork they curve around the cantilevered roof and resemble the shades of a calabash: dark at the bottom, lighter at the top linking to the colour of the roof membrane. The “pot” seems punctured, this effect is achieved by open and glazed panels, suggesting a pattern that arises when the interior is illuminated at night and the stadium appears to glitter.
The façade is articulated by 10 vertical slots, which represent the geographical alignment with the 9 other 2010 stadiums and the Berlin Stadium, main venue of the 2006 World Cup. These lines represent the “Road to the Final”, the scores of each game at each venue will be placed in pre-cast concrete panels on the podium and this way will prove a full history of the 2010 World Cup. The slots in the facades and the panels on the podium are connected by grey lines running through the orange seats.
The support of the façade is made of 3 dimensional, curved off shutter concrete columns which are inclined and have a horizontal eccentricity of 6,5m in relation to its base. The concrete structure extends to fourteen meters above the podium level, from where it extends in structural steep up to the spatial ring.
|
| |
| Architect |
Boogertman Urban Edge & Partners Boer Piet |
| Country |
South Africa |
| Region |
Eastern Cape |
| Start of the work |
2007 |
| End of the work |
2010 |
| Total surface area |
65.000 m2 |
| Budget |
300 milion euros |
| Photographer |
Silvia Scalzo, ArcelorMittal - Boogertman Urban Edge and Partners in partnership with Populous |
| Collaborations |
Populous |
| |
)
)
)
)
)
