Bay Arena

The new perfectly circular 217 meter diameter roof structure of the BayArena stadium in Leverkusen stretches over the playing field and spectator seating at a height of 30 meters and is a sight worth seeing. The area of the roof totals some 28 000 square meters and its load-bearing structure is based on a spoked wheel; an outer thrust ring holds and inner tensioning ring via radial steel cables. The thrust ring of the roof is supported by eight 40 tonne V-shaped pylons anchored in concrete foundations weighing many tones. With such huge amounts of steel and concrete the roof needs to be lightweight but must also meet the exacting demands of break resistance, impact strength, formability and processability and temperature and heat resistance.

A particular challenge for both the developers and contractors was the shape of the roof – circular at the outside perimeter and transitioning to a rectangular shape at its inner edge. With a short window in which to install the roof the good processability and low weight per unit of the polycarbonate panels proved to be advantageous during this phase of construction.

The transparent polycarbonate sheets were highly suitable for a roof of such great dimensions. The lightweight, break resistant polycarbonate sheets are able to withstand high mechanical stress and weather conditions. The light transmission properties of the polycarbonate panels have been further optimized to suit stadium conditions – filtering the sunlight so that spectators are protected from strong solar irradiation while still ensuring that the grass receives sufficient light for growth.