A General Overview of some Stadium Design methods employed in Nigeria
Written by T.Adeniyi
There has been a lot of talk about the Uyo Stadium of late, especially as it has now been completed and commissioned (See video). However where does this stadium really stack up internationally? The beauty of this stadium lies in its structural components and cladding. It may not include features such as retractable elements or an Olympic Standard seating capacity, but on the topic of structural organization, efficiency and beauty - it is World Class. It also features a multi-coloured lighting system that filters through 15mm point fixed white plexiGlass panels. The design is inspired by the Alianz Arena in Munich, Germany.
The Stadium seats 30,000 people and has 36 emergency exits, floodlights and two video-capable screens. However as stated earlier, the real beauty of the facility lies in its structure.
Specification:
Length: 248 m
Width: 156 m
Height: 24 m
Nodes: 6.024
Members: 12.049
Cross-sections: 37
There has been a lot of talk about the Uyo Stadium of late, especially as it has now been completed and commissioned (See video). However where does this stadium really stack up internationally? The beauty of this stadium lies in its structural components and cladding. It may not include features such as retractable elements or an Olympic Standard seating capacity, but on the topic of structural organization, efficiency and beauty - it is World Class. It also features a multi-coloured lighting system that filters through 15mm point fixed white plexiGlass panels. The design is inspired by the Alianz Arena in Munich, Germany.
The Stadium seats 30,000 people and has 36 emergency exits, floodlights and two video-capable screens. However as stated earlier, the real beauty of the facility lies in its structure.
Specification:
Length: 248 m
Width: 156 m
Height: 24 m
Nodes: 6.024
Members: 12.049
Cross-sections: 37
The stadium consists of two distinct parts. The rectilinear VIP area, with a straight truss system and the main seating arrangement, which has a curved cantilevered beam system, enclosed with rhomboidal facade panels. The VIP section has 4610 members, while the main section has 12,049 members. Due to the modern cantilever system, the roofing trusses of the main section are Structural Steel S355, which is a standard European Standard Specification and (high-strength low-alloy). This essentially ensures that the stadium can have a neat organization free of unnecessary supports. It should be noted that in comparison the recently commissioned, Port Harcourt Stadium does not employ such a neat cantilever system and as such has untidy posts that impede views.
A Cantilever is essentially a horizontal beam or structure that is not supported on one end. What you will notice about cantilevers, is that they are usually tapered, because there is greater stress and force being applied at the support than at the ends. Even more importantly, an effective cantilever will be a continuous design to the ground. In the Port Harcourt Stadium however (shown below), we see that the system is quite discontinuous and there is no tapering, which means that the roof cannot span the entire length of the stands without structural posts midway.
The general rule of thumb in cantilever design, is that the more back-span you have, the more cantilevering is possible. The Uyo Stadium has a lot of back-span, because the roofing trusses, curve all the way towards the ground. The Port Harcourt trusses on the other hand, do not have enough back-span as they are terminated at the roof level.
A Cantilever is essentially a horizontal beam or structure that is not supported on one end. What you will notice about cantilevers, is that they are usually tapered, because there is greater stress and force being applied at the support than at the ends. Even more importantly, an effective cantilever will be a continuous design to the ground. In the Port Harcourt Stadium however (shown below), we see that the system is quite discontinuous and there is no tapering, which means that the roof cannot span the entire length of the stands without structural posts midway.
The general rule of thumb in cantilever design, is that the more back-span you have, the more cantilevering is possible. The Uyo Stadium has a lot of back-span, because the roofing trusses, curve all the way towards the ground. The Port Harcourt trusses on the other hand, do not have enough back-span as they are terminated at the roof level.
However the Uyo Stadium in Akwa Ibom is certainly not the only modern Stadium in Nigeria. The National Stadium in Abuja has a number of ingenious components to its name, such as an 800 tons cable network. There are two inner tension rings that are fixed to an outer compression ring. The curving tension membrane is an ingenious light weight method that allows for the ptfe-coated glass fibre roofing membrane to be supported, without the need for structural posts. The cables are in pure tension, while the compression ring (concrete) is in pure compression. The lighting system is fixed to both the upper and lower tension rings, but having two tension rings has the added structural benefit of providing transverse stiffness and limiting upward lift.
The Abuja Stadium as with the Uyo Stadium make use of modern engineering to save on material consumption and to enhance the experience.
Written by T.Adeniyi for BBB.
The Abuja Stadium as with the Uyo Stadium make use of modern engineering to save on material consumption and to enhance the experience.
Written by T.Adeniyi for BBB.