Olympic Stadium, Reconstruction and Roofing

The master plan proposed by Werner March in 1936 remains under urban historic preservation, with the new plans emphasising the quality of the original structure. All necessary additions have been placed underground, outside of the stadium, in order to keep the stadium’s graceful appearance. The new roof structure, with its open-ended ring towards the Marathon Gate, sets itself apart from stadium typology with its simple construction and choice of surface material.

The roof is designed as a light cantilevering steel construction with an upper and lower membrane. The total length of the steel trusswork functioning as the main support is estimated at 68 metres and is visible through the translucent membrane. From the interior, the roof rests on 20 steel columns, which each have a slim profile of 25 cm in diameter, allowing as little obstruction to spectator view as possible. A special installation integrates the field lights with the stadium‘s acoustics close to the inner roof edge.