CASE STUDY: AVIVA STADIUM Irish Icon Reinvents Spectator Comfort and Excitement Acclaimed $457 Million Aviva Stadium Wows Soccer and Rugby Fans Under a Spectacular Corrugated Polycarbonate Roof offered a design solution that would flood the playing field with daylight, withstand extreme wind, rain and snow loads, and maximize spectator comfort while protecting them from weather and UV exposure. The complex roof geometry was another challenge met. The curvilinear form required no less than 4,251 individually- sized and shaped polycarbonate panels Its swooping, soaring curvilinear structure the stadium with a ribbon of transparent across 215,278 square feet of surface area. reminds some of an enormous, elegant material that wouldn’t obstruct sightlines, Precisely manufacturing each panel to crystal bowl, gently encasing passionate diminish daylight, or compromise the demanding tolerances the 3D design sports fans and concert goers in a spectator comfort during harsh Irish software required was one thing. How shimmering, breathtaking melding of weather or times of intense UV rays. to transport and install each panel in the exact location? Palram solved that with a sky with earth. Roof weight, of course, was a concern. unique coding and labeling system that Welcome to Aviva Stadium, the iconic Even the design team’s idea to clad the made on-site assembly fast, accurate, 51,700-seat, $457 million soccer and rugby roof in 8mm polycarbonate panels, long- and foolproof. arena that has come to symbolize 21st used as a transparent roofing material, century Dublin, Ireland since its May 2010 was calculated to add 200 tons of weight Result opening. Key to the stadium’s elegant to the encircling horseshoe truss. What Palram saved the owners an estimated yet complex geometry (“… a building no could the designers do to cut panel $3.5 million in material, labor, and one thought possible” says Buro Happold weight without crippling the design vision accessories. The owners also benefit Engineering) is the structure’s sheltering, and jeopardizing long-term structural from a 20-year warranty on the Suntuf transparent roof that boldly transforms the performance and durability? roofing panels. spectator experience. Solution Today the gleaming Suntuf roof has Challenge Palram engineers carefully examined the lived up to its name, showing no sign The joint architectural team of London- question, too, and proposed an alternative of discoloration or wear and offering based Populous (formerly HOK Sport) and rooflight strategy that removed structural, Dubliners an ever-changing exterior light Dublin-based Scott Tallon Walker faced performance, and aesthetic concerns from show of mirrored sky conditions. Inside, a daunting riddle: How do you replace the table. spectators enjoy unimpeded daylight and a sheltering roof. Populous and Scott Tallon an existing 23,000-seat stadium with a Palram determined their Suntuf® Walker received the British Construction 51,700-seat world-class facility without corrugated polycarbonate sheet in a Industry Awards – International, among disrupting the surrounding neighborhood? 3mm SS: custom profile could slash roof many other honors worldwide. Their now-famous answer has earned more panel weight to just 80 tons, shaving • than two dozen architectural load by 120 tons. Not only would Suntuf Produced by Hanley Wood Strategic Marketing Services Group design awards. safely address weight concerns, but also sms.hanleywood.com Central to their vision was the wave-like roof. Given the light, freeform aesthetic, the chief challenge was how to safely span To Learn More About Palram Americas, Inc. Website Email Based in Kutztown, Pa., Palram is a palramprojects.com [email protected] respected producer of polycarbon- ate panels, helping outfit scores of small-, mid- and large-scale projects worldwide..