SPECIAL REPORT>CAPE TOWN STADIUM

2 >

By Bev Hermanson

3 >

Of all the stadiums that were prepared for the 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup, only three have been entirely new constructions. One of these is the Cape Town Stadium situated close to the popular V&A Waterfront along the shoreline of Table Bay, within full view of Cape Town’s most famous landmark, Table Mountain.

One of the largest construction projects to have been

tackled by the City of Cape Town, the Cape Town Stadium

and the surrounding parkland have been completed at

a cost of R4,5-billion. Along with its parking area and

a retail plaza, the stadium covers an area of 18 hectares,

equivalent to six city blocks. Built to be more than

merely a soccer stadium, this development has been

designed as a multi-purpose venue that is equipped to

host rugby matches, music concerts and many other

major events as well. Its successful completion in-

volved a large taskforce of professionals comprising

Photo by Bruce Sutherland, City of Cape Town.

15 different disciplines and 51 firms and a joint ven-

ture of 2 of the largest contracting firms in the country.

Green Point as a sports precinct

Since before the Anglo Boer War in the late 1800s, the

Green Point Common has been home to a variety of

sports clubs, including Hamiltons, South Africa’s oldest

rugby club that was founded in 1875, and the Green

Point Cricket Club that started in 1897. Declared a public

open space for recreation and sport by Britain’s King

George V in 1923, this valuable piece of ground has

been staunchly protected from the threat of over com-

mercialisation and expansion around the Mother City.

The Green Point Stadium, built on the Common in the

1940s, was rather controversial, as, with a capacity of

only 18 000 seats, many saw it as a ‘white elephant’

that was under-utilised. Over the years, it was used for

various events, including small scale concerts and

sports events. It was additionally home to the Santos and

Hellenic Soccer Clubs and later the Ajax Football Club.

At the time that the 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup was

awarded to South Africa, the planning committee deter-

mined that the stadium in Cape Town was going to

need close to 70 000 seats to qualify to host at least

one of the semi-final matches there. Under the circum-

stances, they decided it would be easier to build an

entirely new stadium close to the old stadium, rather

than try to upgrade the old fossil facilities. The old Green

Point Stadium has since been partially demolished

and has been converted into a dedicated stadium

for athletics.

4 >

To refer to Cape Town’s stadium as the Green Point

Stadium is, therefore, a complete misnomer, as the land

allocated for the construction of the new stadium

was land that had been used by the Metropolitan

Golf Club for its nine hole golf course. To compensate

the Mets and other sporting disciplines using the

Common, the entire area has been reorganised. A new

nine hole golf course has been built and 12,5 hectares

have been converted into an urban park that boasts

walking, cycling and jogging tracks, that weave around

beautiful water features and landscaped gardens.

Other facilities in the precinct include a Health & Fitness

Club, tennis courts, hockey and rugby fields and a cricket

oval. A tree-lined pedestrian walkway further connects

the Mouille Point lighthouse with Somerset Road on the

outskirts of the city. In total, this encompasses an area

of some 65 hectares of parkland and sports facilities.

Within a stone’s throw of the new stadium, the 123

hectare V&A Waterfront offers visitors a wealth of

pleasure pursuits – from a ferry trip to the historical

Robben Eiland, where the well known freedom fighter

and past president of the country, Nelson Mandela,

was incarcerated, to a sumptuous array of restaurants,

luxury hotels, stores and other leisure pursuits.

The new stadium

The state-of-the-art Cape Town Stadium will host five of

the first round matches, one second round match, one

quarter final and one semi-final of the 2010 FIFA World

Cup soccer matches. Designed by concept architects,

gmp Architects of Germany, in conjunction with local

firms, Louis Karol Architects and Point Architects, the

5 >

The

var

ious

pha

ses

of

cons

truc

tion

on

the

Cape

Tow

n

Sta

dium

. Pho

tos

by B

ruce

Sut

herl

and,

Cit

y of

Cap

e To

wn.

FIRE PROTECTION CONSULTANTSBramley and Associates cc

Specialists in the application of

The National Building Regulations,

Rational Designs and Fixed FireProtection Services

E-Mail: bramley@iafrica.com

Often copied but Never Surpassed

CAPE TOWNTel: (021) 462-4960

Bramley & Associates ccAdding Value through Expertise

6 >

Tel: 021 884 4568Fax: 021 884 4537Office Cell: 083 704 6881Email: groenvleig@telkomsa.netWebsite: www.groenvleigras.co.za

WE OFFER– Collections on farms– Deliveries anywhere in the Western Cape– Sod installations– Advise on any turf matters– 3 Varieties of turf grass: Kikuyu, Cynodon Dactylon and Buffalo

WE SPECIALIZE IN:– Golf Courses - new and existing– Sport fields - soccer fields for big events– Developments– Estates– Domestic Housing

Construction and maintenance of the Cape Town Stadium Pitch

7 >

stadium covers an area of 290m x 260m and stands

50m at its highest point.

The most amazing aspect of the stadium is the high-

tech roof that covers 38 000 square metres, protecting

the bulk of the spectators from the often inclement

Cape weather. Knowing the ‘Cape Doctor’, the harsh

south-easter wind that occasionally thrashes the Fore-

shore and the Green Point Common at gale force, a

substantial roof was definitely on the city’s wish list.

The double whammy of this design is that it not only

protects the spectators from harsh weather condi-

tions, it reduces the noise emanating from the stadium

– which will be most welcome to the Green Point and

Sea Point residents that do not relish hearing the

vuvuzelas at full blast throughout the matches.

Commanding a significant chunk of the construction

budget, the roof has been designed as a saddleback

curve with a double membrane. Its smooth flowing

appearance from all angles contributes to making this

stadium one of the most distinctive in the country.

Weighing in the region of 3 735 tons, the roof structure,

that rests on a total of 72 columns, comprises an outer

‘compression ring’ which is linked to an inner ‘tension

ring’ by a system of trusses and cables. The inner ten-

sion ring houses the lights and acoustic equipment.

The top layer of the roof is made of around 9 000 panels

of laminated safety glass to allow in plenty of natural

light, while the bottom layer is made up of woven

PVC ceiling panels that absorbs sound, while protecting

the equipment from below.

Pho

tos

by R

odge

r B

osch

,

Med

iaC

lubS

outh

Afr

ica.

com

.

8 >

Facilities

Although the seating capacity for the duration of the

World Cup will accommodate 68 000 spectators, after

the end of the tournament, 13 000 seats will be re-

moved, leaving 55 000 permanent seats. To channel the

large crowds, 59 main gates lead to 115 turnstiles

positioned around the 745 metre perimeter. Conven-

iences include 530 toilets and 360 urinals. There are

four TV studios, 24 media desks and 178 media seats,

as well as a medical centre and a police station. To

cater for the movement of the impaired, there are 16

lifts and 120 places for spectators in wheelchairs.

“The size of the facility is phenomenal,” says Bev Mitch-

ell of project manager, Mitchell du Plessis Associates

(MDA). “The roof is column-free and the seating is

positioned in such a way that spectators can see all

four corners of the playing area without having to stand

or jump. Even when they leave their seats to buy food,

there are still opportunities to see the game while

standing in the queues. To complement the action on

the field, two giant TV screens have been mounted

above the seating area – excellent for action replays

and close-ups of the action.”

Joint effort

Within the time frame of the project, the design team

spent a year in the preparation phase before the con-

struction team eventually broke ground in February

2007. However, time was extremely limited, consid-

ering the enormity of the project, and therefore there

was a call for tenders from multi-disciplinary teams to

ensure that everything would be completed on time.

Pho

to b

y B

KS

.

Pho

tos

by B

ev M

itch

ell (

left

)

and

Rod

ger

Bos

ch (

righ

t),

Med

iaC

lubS

outh

Afr

ica.

com

.

10 >

“During the tender process, MDA put two teams togeth-er and entered two different tenders, which came in first and second. After lengthy deliberations, it was decided that both teams should be appointed. MDA was the common denominator, so the two teams were co-ordinated from the MDA offices. We put together a joint venture of four project management firms – our-selves, BKS, Ariya Project Managers and Ngonyama Okpanum Associates. Overall, we ended up with over 51 firms involved on the professional team, representing 15 disciplines. That was the only way we could see ourselves being able to hand the stadium over by the end of 2009, the specified deadline.”

The first costings came out 20 – 30 % over the budget, requiring significant design refinements in order to shrink the costs. “Trying to adjust the costs was a night-mare as the World was going through a recession and

our local construction industry was flying, so the labour

rates and materials costs were a lot higher,” Mitchell elaborates. “Fortunately, we managed to negotiate a slightly higher budget as a compromise and we were able to come in below that, in the end.”

With the help of gmp, the German architects, the design team managed to conceptualise a structure that adds to the beauty of Cape Town. Standing proudly within the parklike surroundings, its form is certainly dis-

tinctive and somewhat sculptural.

Sustainability

The revamped Green Point Common is very much a people place and to fall in line with the natural and human aspects of its environment, the Cape Town Stadium needed to be as environmentally sustainable

as possible. Part of the challenge was to reduce traffic

10 >

congestion in order to reduce the stadium’s carbon

footprint.

“Fortunately, the Central Business District of Cape

Town is within walking distance and an Integrated Rapid

Transit system is also available to transport spectators

from the parkades and open parking areas within the

city to the stadium. There are only VIP parking facilities

allocated within the stadium grounds – these will ac-

commodate up to 3 000 vehicles.”

Further environmentally conscious initiatives included

water management and energy conservation and recy-

cling wherever possible. “When the Green Point Sta-

dium was partially demolished, 95% of the components

were incorporated in the new stadium as part of a

recycling project,” Mitchell continues. “Water and

energy savings were also a priority.”

A building management system has been incorporated.

This monitors energy usage and lights can be switched

off and air-conditioning adjusted in rooms that are un-

occupied. Compact fluorescent lamps have been

used in most areas and to reduce the need for aircon-

ditioning, the outer cladding of the stadium allows

air to circulate.

Water from the roof is channelled into storage tanks and

as much grey water is recycled as possible. Much of

it is used to fill ponds on the Green Point Common as

well as for irrigation of the gardens. Furthermore, nei-

ther the Common, with its urban park, nor the stadium,

relies on the City of Cape Town’s water supply for

drinking water. This is sourced from the Oranjezicht

Natural Springs located a mere four kilometres away.

Photos by Bruce Sutherland, City of Cape Town.

11 >

LIGHTNING PROTECTION & EARTHING

GAUTENG:

Postnet Suite 162

Private Bag X15

Menlo Park 0102

Tel: 012 - 542 2088

Fax: 012 - 542 2091

Email: gauteng@hunterlp.co.za

SPECIALISTS IN THE FOLLOWING FIELDS:

Design, Supply, Installation and Testing of Lightning Protection Systems in strict accordance with SANS 10313:2008 and SANS 62305:2007

Design, Supply, Installation and Testing of Earthing systems in strict accordance with SANS 10199:2004

Internal Lightning and Surge Protection

Measurement of Soil Resistivity

Earth Resistance Tests

Specialise in large industrial, commercial, mining, railway and explosive installations

Mast Protection for Thatch Structures

Nationwide Service

www.hunterlp.co.za

CAPE:

P.O. Box 50490

Colleen Glen

6018

Tel: 041 - 378 2678

Fax: 041 - 378 2679

Email: cape@hunterlp.co.za

12 >

Sustainability, of course, does not only extend to natural

resources. At peaks times, there were up to 2 500

people employed on site. Amongst these, around 1 200

artisans received training during the construction

period, which will hopefully equip them to find further

employment in the future.

The stadium is to be managed by a consortium consist-

ing of the South African sports marketing company,

SAIL, and Stade de France, operators of a major multi-

purpose venue in Paris. <

Photos by Bruce Sutherland, City of Cape Town.

13 >