Wembley stadium case study
Wembley Stadium
Here we look in depth at the future home of English football, the new Wembley Stadium. We also take a look at how the College of North West London and the construction company, Multiplex, joined forces to work on the project.
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College of North West London and Multiplex
As part of the building process Multiplex set up a test rig at the College of North West London, who are based near the stadium. The rig was used to test brick work and the loads it could take, prior to the actual construction.
The partnership between the company and the college also allowed students to be trained in the skills required to carry out load testing and other parts of the construction process. This benefited the company, as it could draw on a pool of skilled students.
The following year, the college’s trowel trades (bricklaying and plastering) courses took in more students than ever before, forcing the college to seek alternative space to house them. Ironically, the venue they chose was the Palace of Industry, right next to the new stadium and one of only two remaining buildings from the 1924 Empire Exhibition complex, of which the original Wembley Stadium was the centrepiece.
Click here to find out more about College of North West London.
315 metre long arch
The stadium’s most notable feature is a 315 metre long arch, the longest single span roof structure in the world. It is 133 metres above the pitch at its highest point, which is taller than the Millennium Wheel.
But the arch is not just for show, it’s an integral part of the stadium’s design. It supports 60% of the roof’s weight. The roof can be partially closed during bad weather to protect the 90,000 spectators, or avoid heavy shadows across the pitch (which television cameras have difficulty coping with). It also opens up to give the pitch full natural light.
The arch means there is no longer a need for the roof to have supporting columns inside the stadium. This means every spectator has a perfect view of the action.
Click here for interesting facts about Wembley Stadium.
Click here for more information on the architects.
Construction challenges
The construction presented a number of challenges. No stadium has ever been built this way, so architects and engineers had to use complex computer models to predict how the structure would behave if built in certain ways.
Given the special history of the previous Wembley Stadium, the designers had to pay particular attention to the atmosphere of the stadium, including the way it will sound with a full crowd cheering. Again, computers were used to simulate the acoustics of the new stadium before the design was agreed upon.
The architects needed to understand the physics and maths behind the forces exerted on the building, as well as IT skills to run the analysis.
Skilled tradespeople
Many skilled tradesmen and women have been working on particular aspects of the stadium. Bricklayers, electricians and crane operators were amongst a workforce of over 1500 working on the stadium at the same time at its peak.
The new stadium has already won over some fans:
‘The plans that I've seen have been amazing and hopefully it's going to be a big part of my life" - David Beckham
Click here for useful links to find out more about Wmbley Stadium.
The new Wembley is a state of the art sports ground and an example of a high profile, complex construction project in London. Its arch is visible from Canary Wharf, over 13 miles away.
The stadium was designed by London-based architects Fosters and Partners and the International architects HOK. The construction has been managed by Multiplex.
2012 London Olympic bid
Wembley stadium formed an important part of London’s bid for the Olympic Games. As well as a venue for football, it has been designed to allow athletics to be held there, by adding a temporary running track over some of the seating. The stadium was important not only as a potential venue, but because it demonstrated that London could design and build iconic sports venues, and deliver them on budget and schedule, an important factor in any Olympic Games.
All building projects rely on project managers, cost controllers and organisational skills, as well as design and construction skills.
If London wins the Olympic bid, the demand for skilled workers in this area will grow considerably.
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