Structures that Score 

Wembley Stadium, London, UK

The renewed Wembley Stadium is the tallest stadium in the world, and with a seating capacity of 90,000 it is the 2nd largest stadium in Europe and the world’s largest football (soccer) stadium. 215,000 tons of concrete and 24,000 tons of steel were used in the construction of the new stadium. The foundations of the new stadium go up to 35 meters deep.
 
The arch, which is pitched at 112 degrees, weighs 1,750 tons with a 315 meter (1,033 feet) span and supports the world’s biggest single span roof. It obviates the need for pillars, which could obscure attendants’ views, and supports 5,000 tons of the roof structure. The southern roof can be retracted to allow air and light onto the pitch , preventing shadows and improving TV broadcasts. The Wembley Stadium is the world’s only stadium to sport an aircraft warning beacon. 

 Joensuu Arena, Finland

Joensuu Arena is the largest wooden building in Europe. In addition to versatile possibilities of physical activity, it caters for conventions, trade fairs, concerts, and various mass events. The building is situated by a fast-flowing river and a clearwatered lake near to all central services. At its best, Joensuu Arena has a capacity for up to 10,000 persons.
 
The geometry of the building is so demanding that without a 3D solution it would have been nearly impossible  to create the subassemblies. The project was free of design errors and included an animated visualisation model for site management. On site, all pieces fitted together with no need for re-fabrication. 

Khalifa Olympic Stadium, Doha, Qatar

Khalifa Stadium was originally opened in 1976, but extensive rebuilding for the hosting of the 15th Asian Games 2006 has more than doubled its size and effectively created a brand new stadium. It is a one of a kind structure, designed by ARUP and built/erected by Eversendai Engineering LLC. As well as increasing the seating capacity from 20,000 to 50,000, a new roof has been built over the western side, counterbalanced by a spectacular arch to the east.

The canopy above the spectators is suspended from the main arch structure, as is the lighting arch to support the floodlights and sound system. Modeling the structure was especially complex as all the cables needed to be modeled in both a stressed and unstressed condition with corresponding connections. Khalifa was modeled with Tekla Structures by Seacad in Malaysia. 

Olympic Velodrome, Athens, Greece

Many of today’s most impressive steel structures have one thing in common: they have been made possible by today’s most advanced 3D modelling technology. This has played an important role in giving a face-lift to the center of Olympic Games 2004, the Athens Olympic Sports Complex. It has won worldwide recognition for its beauty and execution. The light and bold architecture, only possible in steel, embodies the values and spirit of the Olympic movement. The roof structure comprises 26,000 parts. The extremely complex geometry and sheer volume of data made the design work very challenging. All of the parts are different and practically none connect in an orthogonal way. The detailing work was accomplished in 3D with Tekla Structures for Steel Detailing.

Foshan Stadium, Foshan, Guangdong, China

The new Foshan stadium resembles three bright pearls on the ground. It is mainly made of steel with some concrete on the foundation. In addition to serving as a games arena, the stadium will be open to citizens for daily sports exercise. The steel structure was finished in July 2006, and the whole building was ready in 2007. Since the structure is very complicated, it would have been almost impossible to get the project done with 2D software. Using 3D modeling, the detailers could see the structures on their computer, avoiding collisions during the erection. The multi-user capability helped detailers to co-operate and review each other’s models up-to-date. The detailing schedule was tight but was finished in time with Tekla Structures. 

University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, USA

Formally known as Cardinals Stadium, the University of Phoenix Stadium is home for the National Football League’s Arizona Cardinals and the host of the 2008 Super Bowl. This multi-purpose indoor stadium has a retractable roof and roll-out natural grass playing field. The 73,000 seat capacity facility encompasses 1.7 million square feet. Tekla Structures unique multi user functionality allowed numerous detailers to work on the project simultaneously using the same model. The advanced 3D rendering facilities, visualisation and reporting tools enabled communicating effectively between all project parties. 

Soldier Field Stadium, Chicago, USA

Soldier Field, home to the NFL’s Chicago Bears, has long been revered as a great American sports palace and Armed Services monument. Built in 1924, the old stadium has now seen restoration of the historic colonnades and facade, and replacement of the seating bowl with a 61,500-seat sports and events facility. The new 1.4 million square-feet stadium was scheduled for completion in a record 20 months, even though a typical stadium requires 30 months or more. The use of Tekla Structures helped avert costly miscues from design to fabrication and installation. As an added benefit, the 3D geometry facilitated the design and assembly of the stadium’s non-rectilinear panelised cladding system.