Raising the Roof – Roofed Stadiums
25/05/2018
Roofed stadiums are not a new phenomenon by any means, with the first fully retractable stadium unveiled on the Rogers Centre, in Toronto in June 1988. Since then, many stadiums have followed suit – using retractable roofs in their design too. These roofs form some of the greatest architectural sights in sport and are sometimes at the heart of famous sporting controversies. Ahead of the start of the World Cup in Russia, we will be looking at three stadiums with retractable roofs.
The Principality Stadium, Cardiff
Formerly known as the Millennium Stadium, the Principality Stadium underwent a rename in 2016 for sponsorship purposes. It is the national stadium of Wales, the second largest stadium in the world with a fully retractable roof and is also the home of the Wales national rugby team. It has a seating capacity of 74,500 and the stadium has staged multiple games for the Welsh national football team and even the UEFA Champions League Final last year.
The venue is also a home for boxing and earlier this year, it staged the World heavyweight unification fight between Anthony Joshua and Joseph Parker. With the roof fully shut, the stadium can be transformed into an arena for music concerts. Jay Z and Beyoncé, the Rolling Stones and Ed Sheeran are just some of the artists scheduled to perform there.
The roof costs £2.54 every time it's opened and takes 20 minutes to open completely. Over 200,000 nuts and bolts were used in the roof, which when it was built was only the second retractable stadium roof in Europe.
Saint Petersburg Stadium, St Petersburg
Also known as the Zenit Arena and the Krestovsky Stadium, the St Petersburg Stadium was opened in 2017 for the FIFA Confederations Cup. It is also the home of FC Zenit and will host three group-stage matches and a quarter final at this year’s World Cup Finals. It has a capacity of 67,000 and is among the most expensive stadiums in the world at a cost of $1.1 billion.
The venue has a huge two-part retractable roof, spanning 71,000 square metres with a clear waterproof membrane that allows natural light in the stadium. The roof helps to heat the inside of the stadium and stretches 79 metres into the air. Along with the retractable roof, the stadium features a roll-out pitch meaning the venue can be transformed into a platform to host a variety of events.
Wimbledon Main Court, London
Wimbledon received its retractable roof in 2009, which enabled play to continue during adverse conditions up until the council-imposed curfew of 11pm. It is considered to be the most famous tennis court in the world and was the venue of the 2012 Summer Olympic tennis matches. The 2009 renovation cost around £100 million and when the roof was installed the capacity of the stadium was also increased.
The roof weighs 1,000 tonnes and covers 5,200 square metres. It features two sections of strong, flexible fabric which is 16 metres from the ground. It takes 8-10 minutes to close and once closed the humidity control system takes a further 45 minutes to create the optimum conditions for play to resume. This was the centre of controversy when Rodger Federer played and beat Croatian Marin Cilic.
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