RheinEnergie Football Stadium

The RheinEnergieStadion is located in the Cologne Sportpark, within the city’s green belt and in immediate proximity to the city forest as well as important leisure and sports facilities.

From the north the visitors are axially directed through a cordon of lighting steles towards the new stadium, which is perceptible as an integral part of the Sportpark between two tree-lined avenues and the masonry colonnades from the Professor-Abel-Building dating from the 1920s.

A glass roof covers the entrance to the circulation ring underneath the stands. From this location the visitor has a first view over the complete stadium interior through the "stadium window", which is situated on the site of the former marathon gate.

The stands above the box level are positioned as independent circles between four lighting towers. They provide a total capacity of 45,000 roofed seats offering a column-free view across the playing area. The main stand is reserved for the VIPs and the press, providing 52 VIP boxes on two levels and the necessary press and commentator boxes. The south stand accommodates a congress and conference centre with a VIP restaurant and has a separate approach road.

The clear design of the rectangle stadium geometry is maintained in plan and elevation and emphasized by the choice of materials as well as the structural system: Illuminated, 60 m high steel towers support a light-weight stand roof with an exterior metal and an interior glass roof, ensuring an optimal growth of the grass. The prefabricated stands are located underneath the hovering suspended structure and are supported by an open concrete framework.

In order to realize column-free stands with unrestricted views for the spectators, the individual roofs are suspended along their central line. The suspension system is designed like a traditional suspended bridge: Two parallel suspension ropes transfer the vertical roof loads through to the masts at the roof’s end, which are guyed towards the outside. The complete roof surface is designed as one connected plate being held in place with tensile members. Each of the four roofs is separately stable and can be added to with other single roofs.