Lia Manoliu National Stadium

In Bucharest a new National Stadium is currently under construction with a planned completion for the end of 2011. The architectural design, with its eye-catching cabriolet roof evokes memores of the Commerzbank Arena in Franfurt am Main. With its innovative architecture, the new stadium fits well in the line-up of modern sports arenas.

The construction is a symbiosis of an outer membrane ring combined with an inner ring made out of solid polycarbonate sheets on which the retractable inner roof tent will be fixed after opening. The oval stadium, visible from far away, will serve as a venue for important soccer games such as the final game of the 2012 UEFA European Football Championships. As Romania’s new national stadium it will also serve as a venue for any type of large event. For this reason the planners had to reconcile maximum flexibility and optimal functionality with attractive design and, of course, economic feasibility. The solid and transparent polycarbonate sheets, 8 mm thick and up to 12 meters long, are a perfect fit for the stadium. The sheets will cover the roof above the stands, a surface of 5000 square meters. As with the Commerzbank Arena, the folding roof can be closed within 20 minutes, thus allowing games and other events to be held in any weather.