Hightex Group, a leading systems engineering company, which designs, fabricates and installs large area, cable supported, lightweight membrane roofs and façades worldwide, and its Brazilian construction partner Sepa have been selected to engineer and install the inner liner membrane structure of a total of three football stadia for the 2014 Fifa World Cup: the roof of the Maracanã stadium in Rio de Janeiro, the Beira-Rio stadium in Porto Alegre and finally the Arena das Dunas in Natal. Hightex uses eco-friendly materials and focuses on innovative technologies and linings which help to increase energy efficiency of buildings.
The new membrane roof of the stadium in Maracaná comprises an area of 46,000m² of PTFE-coated glass fabric which is built on a cable rope construction. (photo: Consórcio Maracanã Rio 2014)
Stadium Mário Filho (Maracanã), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Year: under construction
Material: PTFE-coated glass fabric
Dimension: 46,100m2
Client: Construtora Norberto Odebrecht, Brazil
Architect: Daniel Fernandez Structural engineers: Schlaich, Bergermann & Partners, Germany
The Maracanã stadium in Rio de Janeiro which will host the 2014 Fifa Final and 2016 Olympics is considered an iconic stadium. After its completion in 1950 the stadium was the biggest in the world with a capacity of up to 200,000 spectators. Even now – after many refurbishments – its 88,000 spectator capacity ranks it among the biggest football arenas in the world. Included in the reconstruction were a new press gallery and bigger ramps and boxes. The lower stand was completely demolished to make way for a replacement offering better visibility conditions. The stadium was named in memory of journalist Mário Filho who championed the construction of the stadium for the world championship in 1950 in Maracanã, rather than the alternative venue of Jacarepaguá.
The rope structure with the integrated steel clamping ring at the outer edge seems like a spoke system. (photo: Consórcio Maracanã Rio 2014)
Besides seating the roofing was also completely renovated. The new membrane roof comprises an area of 46,000m² of PTFE-coated glass fabric which is built on a cable rope construction. The rope structure with the integrated steel clamping ring at the outer edge resembles the spokes of a bicycle wheel. Here, the clamping ring is like the “rim”, the radially arranged ropes resemble s spokes and the ropes arranged in the form of a ring form the “centre”.
Stadium José Pinheiro Borba (Beira-Rio), Porto Alegre, Brazil
Year: under construction
Material: a) PTFE-coated glass fabric; b) PTFE laminated (infills)
Dimension: a) approximately 44,000m²; b) approximately 13,300m²
Client: Construtora Andrade Gutierrez, Brazil
Architect: Hypestudio Architecture, Brazil
Structural engineers: Simon Engenharia, Brazil
The roof of the Beira-Rio stadium consists of a radial steel truss and a combination of 44,000m2 PTFE-coated glass fabric and 13,300m2 PTFE laminated infills. (photo: Hypestudio)
The roof of the Beira-Rio stadium in Porto Alegre is the second contract won in Brazil by Hightex and the fifth largest in Brazil. It will accommodate approximately 50,000 spectators and is also home to Brazil’s Seria A football club Internacional Porto Alegre. It is the most southern Fifa World Cup stadium for the World Cup 2014 and will be covered with a radial steel truss supported roof and a combination of 44,000m² PTFE-coated glass fabric and 13,300m² PTFE laminated glass mesh with high translucency. This will assure a unique visual appearance in daylight and when illuminated at night.
The “leaves” are set up around the outside of the stadium and are arranged on supports in the area behind the stand enclosure. (photo: Hypestudio)
The membrane support is attached mounted on a steel structure. The steel structure is composed of up to three steel supports, pre-assembled to form three sections, the shape of which is reminiscent of a half closed leaf from a tree. After rooting at the lower end, these “leaves” are set up around the outside of the stadium and are arranged on supports in the area behind the stand enclosure. A self-supporting length of around 60m forms the actual roof of the stadium. 65 “leaves” are set up on the periphery. The lateral bracing is provided by cross-bars and, at the end of the front “leaf”, by means of a “pressure ring”. The installation of the individual “leaves” involves mounting them so that they are super-elevated from front to top. Once the assembly work has been completed, this super-elevation is removed and the support structure rests on the inner “pressure ring”.
The inner fields between the “leaves” are covered with a highly translucent PTFE laminate, which can be illuminated at night. (photo: Hypestudio)
The membrane support is manufactured from two different materials which emphasise its shape. The “leaves” are lined with a PTFE membrane, which is stretched over a rope arrangement and manoeuvred into the leaf mould. The inner fields that are created between the “leaves” are covered with a highly translucent PTFE laminate which can, in addition, be illuminated at night. The colour effects can be used to illustrate the club colours of the teams playing in the stadium.
Arena das Dunas, Natal, Brazil
Year: under construction
Material: PVC/PES membrane
Dimension: approximately 18,000m2
Client: OAS/COESA – Consorcio Arena Natal
Architect: Populous / Coutinho Diegues Cordeiro Arquitetos
Structural engineers: Enpro, Engenheria e Projetos, Salvador, Brazil
Spectators will be protected from direct sunlight by the waved form of the stadium’s structure and at the same time benefit from onshore breezes and air flowing into the seating bowl via ETFE louvers between the stadium “shells”.(photo: www.wm-2014-spielplan.net)
The third contract won by the Hightex and Sepa partnership for a stadium to be used in the 2014 Fifa World Cup in Brazil is the Arena das Dunas in Natal. The stadium will accommodate 45,000 spectators who will be protected from direct sunlight by the waved form of the stadium’s structure but will benefit from onshore breezes and air flowing into the seating bowl via ETFE louvers between the stadium “shells”. The upper seating tiers are separated into discrete seating blocks; these “petals” are linked via a continuous undulating concourse. This arrangement gives the stadium its dramatic asymmetric form, reminiscent of the sand dunes that form its backdrop. The construction is due to be completed by the end of 2013.
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