| Nelson Mandela Stadium |
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Project: Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium The NMB Stadium seated 48,500 fans during the eight World Cup games that were played there, including a quarter final game and the game that determined third and fourth places.
Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium stands out because of its spectacular site on the shore of North End Lake…and because of its equally spectacular roof, unique in design, made of PTFE (Teflon-like) coated fiberglass fabric and supported by 36 overhanged steel-frame girders.
The complexity of the geometry caused numerous headaches to the engineers, the detailers and the manufacturer, because the deformation of the pieces after they were assembled and installed had to be kept in mind. A 3D pattern system then ensured precise reconstruction on-site.
First, a non-deformed geometry was necessary to the manufacture of the ribs of the frames with their space frame girders. Then, a deformed geometry represented the actual on-site geometry under the effect of the weight of the walkway and of the structure itself.
The complexity of the structure in 3D put both the Cadmax detailers and the Tekla Structure program to the test, with the latter literally pushed to its limit by such a large number of deformed pieces.
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