Chuck Aitch

Project: Royal Bafokeng Stadium
Author: BSP Architects
Location: Phokeng, South Africa
Opened: 1999
Renovated: 2009
Capacity: 44,530
Images: wooze66
Chuck Aitch

The Royal Bafokeng Sports Palace is a football, rugby and athletics stadium in Phokeng near Rustenburg, South Africa. It was built and is managed by the Royal Bafokeng Nation. It is used as the home stadium for Premier Soccer League club Platinum Stars. The Leopards host large attendance matches during the Currie Cup at the stadium, instead of their usual home ground, Olen Park.

The capacity of the stadium was increased from 38,000 to 44,530 to be able to host five first round matches and one second round match at the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

For the 2010 tournament, the main west stand was upgraded and enlarged and given a new cantilever roof. Other improvements include the installation of new electronic scoreboards, new seats, and the upgrading of the floodlights and public address system. The stadium upgrade was completed in March 2009 for hosting 4 matches of the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup.

FIFA 2010 World Cup kicks off next Friday with South Africa vs Mexico match. We have prepared this Round Up featuring the 6 stadiums (Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Moses Mabhida Stadium, Ellis Park Stadium, Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Green Point Stadium and Soccer City Stadium) that were published in Arch Tracker. The stadiums, info and fotos after the break.

Soccer City Stadium

Located in Johannesburg, originally built in 1987 will hold the opening match South Africa Vs. Mexico, four more first-round matches, one second-round match, one quarter-final, and the final in the FIFA World Cup 2010. It is famous because it hosted the first massive speech from Nelson mandela after his release from prision in 1990 and because thousands of mourners lamented Chris Hani’s assassination at the stadium in 1993. It was also the venue for the 1996 CAF African Cup of Nations final, with South Africa eventually triumphing 2-0 over Tunisia. For the FIFA World Cup 2010 the stadium has been completely renewed. (Read the full story)

Green Point Stadium

The Stadium is located in Green Point, between Signal Hill and the Atlantic Ocean, close to the Cape Town city centre and to the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, a popular tourist and shopping venue, during the 2010 FIFA Wolrd Cup it will host five first round matches, one second round, one quarter-final and one semi-final. The stadium will be connected to the waterfront by a new road connection, Granger Bay Boulevard, and will be surrounded by a 60 hectare urban park. (Read the full story)

Moses Mabhida Stadium

Located in KwaZulu Natal in the beautiful City of Durban, Moses Mabhida Stadium is named after a hero of the working class. The Moses Mabhida Stadium is located adjacent the ABSA Stadium in the Kings Park Sporting Precinct – a site located in Stamford Hill, becoming a world class multi-purpose stadium set to make possible successful history in the making of the 2010 Fifa World Cup. (Read the full story)

Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium

Located in Port Elizabeth, the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium is the third stadium designed by GMP Architekten for South Africa’s FIFA 2010 World Cup. The stadium will host eight games incluiding the 3rd-4th place match. (Read the full story)

Ellis Park Stadium

Located in the centre of Johannesburg, Ellis Park Stadium was first built in 1928 as a rugby union stadium. It was demolished and rebuilt in 1982 exclusively for rugby and its named after JD Ellis, a Johannesburg city concilor who approved the use of the land for the stadium. The stadium has hosted many sporting events including the final of the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup. (Read the full story)

Loftus Versfeld Stadium

Located in Pretoria, South Africa, Loftus Versfeld Stadium has a capacity of 51,762 seats and is considered an all seater venue, recently hosted the 2009 Currie Cup Final. (Read the full story)

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Project: Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium
Author: GMP Architekten
Location: Port Elizabeth, South Africa
Broke ground: 2007
Opened: 2009
Owner: Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Municipality
Surface: Grass
Capacity: 48,459

Located in Port Elizabeth, the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium is the third stadium designed by GMP Architekten for South Africa’s FIFA 2010 World Cup. The stadium will host eight games incluiding the 3rd-4th place match.

The stadium has an eye-catching, unique roof-structure and a spectacular view, overlooking the North End Lake. The roof is made up of a series of white ‘petals’ making it look like a flower. This is the reason for the stadium’s nickname, The Sunflower. There are not many stadiums in the world that are designed and constructed overlooking a lake; this in itself is a very distinctive feature of the Nelson Mandela Bay Multi-Purpose Stadium. The stadium building is approximately 40m high and consists of six levels on the western side in addition to five on each of the north, south and east stands.

The stadium seats 45 000 in addition to 4,000 extra seats, temporarily installed for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The seats are of different shades, from light orange to dark red. They are arranged seemingly at random, but this was done to help the stadium appear full at all times. It also means that sun damge is less of a problem and replaced seats are less noticeable. There are 23 private boxes with a planned additional 22 private boxes, including two bars, as part of the post World Cup building. The stadium also boasts 150 VIP suites, 60 business suites, a sports clothing shop, gymnasium, plus lecture and function rooms. There are also two conference rooms, which are able to accommodate 200 people, which are situated on the 5th level.

There are four ramps for easy wheelchair access, three VIP/VVIP lifts, two in the West Stand and one in the East Stand, as well as six passengers’ lifts all around the stadium. Two additional lifts will be installed for the legacy phase. The stadium will have a total of 11 lifts. No escalators will be installed. There are 32 turnstiles and colour coded gates on level 2 for spectators to access their seats and four ramps leading up from level 2 to level 5.

Two big viewing screens (12.7m x 7.2m) were installed for live coverage of the activities on the field. There are a total of 74 toilet Blocks (Male and Female) – 36 Blocks on level 2 – 4 Blocks on level 3 – 14 Blocks on level 4 and 20 Blocks on level 5. Parking inside the stadium is provided only on Level 1 and consists of media parking – 160 bays, broadcast – 80 bays, VVIP parking – 70 bays, special VVIP parking – 12 bays, VIP parking – 32 Bays, disabled parking – 4 bays and general parking on site – 1280 bays.

Images: Via Panoraimo and Flickr
1 – Ngrund
2,4 – Direkteur Begeleiding
3 – Craig is Shooting
5,6,7 – Marcus Bredt

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Shine 2010

Project: Moses Mabhida Stadium
Location: Durban, South Africa
Broke ground: 2006
Opened: November 28, 2009
Owner: South African Football Association
Surface: Grass
Capacity: 70,000
Photos: Shine 2010
Sir. Mo.
ChuckAitch
David J. Roberts
Mark Forrest

Shine 2010

Located in KwaZulu Natal in the beautiful City of Durban, Moses Mabhida Stadium is named after a hero of the working class. The Moses Mabhida Stadium is located adjacent the ABSA Stadium in the Kings Park Sporting Precinct – a site located in Stamford Hill, becoming a world class multi-purpose stadium set to make possible successful history in the making of the 2010 Fifa World Cup.

Sir. Mo

Durban’s Moses Mabhida Stadium takes its design inspiration from the South African flag, with its grand arch representing the unity of a sport-loving nation.  The two legs of the arch on the southern side of the stadium, come together to form a single footing on the northern side, symbolizing the uniting of a once-divided nation.

The stadium has been specifically designed to be active 365 days a year, creating a dynamic entertainment node for the city of Durban, incorporating Imbizo Place with over 7000m2 retail space, an amphitheatre and a cable car.

ChuckAitch

The cable car ascends to a viewing platform at the top of the expansive 350m arch, a staggering 106m above the pitch.  From this vantage point, visitors can experience spectacular panoramic views over the ocean and the city.

The stadium is a world-class, state-of-the-art, multifunctional arena located in the heart of the Kings Park Sporting Precinct.  It seat s70,000 roaring fans for the FIFA 2010 World Cup, with 54,000 seats in legacy mode (permanent), and the potential to expand to 85,000 seats to meet the requirements of large-scale events such as the Olympic Games.

Shine 2010

Durban’s Moses Mabhida Stadium is the jewel in the crown of the Kings Park Sporting precinct.  The entire area features additional sporting arenas and facilities as well as restaurants, shops, children’s play areas and a pedestrian walkway linking the stadium complex to the beach.

Marc Forrest

Quick Facts

• Durban’s Moses Mabhida Stadium holds 70, 000 spectators during the 2010 FIFA World Cup™.  Its design allows the stadium seating to be reduced to 54,000 for local matches or up-scaled to 80,000 for events such as the Olympic Games.
• There are 150 corporate hospitality suites with 7,500 seats.
• The grand centre arch, 106m high, is not just a design feature.  A cable car takes visitors up to its highest point, where they can get out and enjoy breathtaking, panoramic views of the city and ocean.
• The 350m long free-span steel arch weighs 2600 tons – that’s the equivalent of 2,600 average cars.
• The roof is made of 46,000m2 of Teflon®-coated glass fibre membranes, which produces a translucent glow when the stadium is lit.
• The roof is attached to the arch by 95mm-diameter steel cables.
• Each seat of the all-seater stadium is spacious and comfortable, providing clear line-of-sight to the pitch.
• A roof cover provides shelter to 80% of the stadium in the case of rain.
• A brand-new passenger terminal includes a railway station, parking, and park and ride facilities for spectators.

Marc Forrest

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ChuckAitch

Project: Ellis Park Stadium
Location: Johannesburg, South Africa
Broke ground: 1927
Opened: 1928
Owner: The Golden Lions Rugby Union
Operator: Ellis Park Stadium Pty.
Surface: Grass
Capacity: 62,567
Photos: ChuckAitch
Aquila
Legio09
Estadios Do Portugal
africanbiohazard

Located in the centre of Johannesburg, Ellis Park Stadium was first built in 1928 as a rugby union stadium. It was demolished and rebuilt in 1982 exclusively for rugby and its named after JD Ellis, a Johannesburg city concilor who approved the use of the land for the stadium. The stadium has hosted many sporting events including the final of the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup.

Aquila

For the FIFA World Cup 2010 Ellis Park Stadium will host five group games, one second round game and one quarter-final, for which its capacity will be increased by 5,000 seats on the northern side only, to 65,000. Areas like the Presidential suite are already receiving a facelift. There will also be a hospitality room and new changing rooms. The total cost of renovations was R500 million and were complete in June 2008, two years before the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Legio09

Unlike most other 2010 FIFA World Cup venues, it will likely be able to use its commercial name, Coca-Cola Park, during the World Cup. FIFA controls all naming rights associated with the World Cup, which means that stadiums generally cannot use commercial names during the competition; however, The Coca-Cola Company is a major FIFA sponsor.

Estadios Do Portugal

The largest piece of construction has been the new tier on the north stand which has increased the seating capacity to 62,000. With state-of-the-art media facilities, team whirlpools, top-class VIP areas for dignitaries, accessibility for disabled fans, a new pitch and a top-notch audio-visual setup to keep the fans informed during the game.

africanbiohazard

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ChuckAitch

Located in Pretoria, South Africa, Loftus Versfeld Stadium has a capacity of 51,762 seats and is considered an all seater venue, recently hosted the 2009 Currie Cup Final. To qualify for selection as a first and second round venue the floodlights, sound system and scoreboard at Loftus Versfeld were upgraded and designated media areas were constructed in the lower level of the west stand. Loftus is the homeground of the Sundowns Football Club, one of South Africa’s premiere professional clubs. Since 1977 Loftus Versfeld has undergone many renovations and its four major stands have been completely rebuilt.

The stadium was named after Robert Owen Loftus Versfeld, the founder of organized sports in Pretoria. Through the years the stadium has undergone various name changes as sponsors came and went, though locals have always referred to the stadium as Loftus Versfeld. From 11 June 1998 to 4 February 2003 the stadium was officially named Minolta Loftus after Minolta had become the stadium’s name sponsor. Sponsorship was taken over by security giant Securicor, who announced the name Securicor Loftus on 5 February 2003. On the 1st of September 2005 the renaming process went full circle when cellular provider Vodacom, taking over sponsorship from Securicor, renamed the stadium back to the original Loftus Versfeld.

The site of the stadium was first used for sports in 1906, and the field was simply called the Eastern Sports Ground. The first concrete structure was erected there by the City Council in 1923. The original structure could only accommodate 2000 spectators, and did not have proper sports facilities.

In 1928, mostly because of the All Blacks tour to South Africa that year, the Pretoria sub-union made a large profit which they used to erect changing rooms and toilets.

Legio09

When Mr Loftus Versfeld died suddenly in May 1932 the Pretoria sub-union renamed the Eastern Sports Ground after him as a tribute to a man that had done so much to develop sport in the area. The stadium has been known as Loftus Versfeld Stadium ever since. It has been upgraded on several occasions, most recently in 1984, when the Northern Pavilion received an upgrade.

tadpolefarm

Images: ChuckAitch
Legio09
tadpolefarm

City of Cape Town

Project: Green Point Stadium
Architects: GMP Architects
Louis Karol Architects
Point Architects
Location: Cape Town, South Africa
Owner: City of Cape Town
Operator: SAIL/Stade de France
Surface: Grass
General Contractor: Murray and Roberts/ WBHO
Capacity: 69,070 (FIFA)
Photos: City of Cape Town
ipickmynose
Bruce Sutherland, City of Cape Town

Bruce Sutherland, City of Cape Town

The Stadium is located in Green Point, between Signal Hill and the Atlantic Ocean, close to the Cape Town city centre and to the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, a popular tourist and shopping venue, during the 2010 FIFA Wolrd Cup it will host five first round matches, one second round, one quarter-final and one semi-final. The stadium will be connected to the waterfront by a new road connection, Granger Bay Boulevard, and will be surrounded by a 60 hectare urban park.

The stadium will contain 68,000 seats for the World Cup. 55,000 Seats will remain permanent and 15,000 modular seats will be re-used in the deconstruction of the existing Green Point Stadium and other social investment opportunities, leaving opportunities for corporate suites to be retrofitted.

City of Cape Town

City of Cape Town

The stadium architecture focuses on the exterior appearance as well as on the user experience for the visitor once inside the stadium bowl. The exterior appearance is largely defined by a sweeping silhouette, not to be in competition with the horizontal datum line of Table Mountain, and the façade, made of a stretched fibre-glass mesh and designed as an articulated surface that makes the building appear almost scaleless.

Bruce Sutherland, City of Cape Town

The roof is designed as suspended roof plane. It focuses attention downwards onto the playing field. At the same time, the underside of the roof surface, hovering above the spectators, operates in a way similar to the façade. The translucent mesh skin under the steel cable and truss structure will act as a luminous disc during days of sunlight and will transmit the colour and atmosphere of the day into the stadium interior. The double skin design of the roof further makes it possible to accommodate (unsightly) services therein and, for example, avoid the use of pylons for the floodlighting. It fulfils an important function as far as noise attenuation is concerned. The roof structure is designed as an acoustic “body” with its own internal volume. The principle of utilising the air space inside the body of the roof as a noise buffer is one of the compelling simple and active design principles applied to the stadium. The key to this principle is the requirement that the “inner” (lower) and “outer” (upper) surface of the roof structure must have different densities and therefore display different acoustic performance characteristics.

The current design foresees and ETFE (fibreglass-like) cloth membrane, which is partly permeable. This “breathing” softer inner skin disperses sound waves and, since it is not a hard surface, absorbs sound into the body of the roof. The outer (top) skin is currently designed and budgeted as a fixed glass skin, which provides a hard resonant surface which reflects sound waves back into the body of the roof. Through the sloping surface of the roof, sound waves are diffracted back against the soft inner skin membrane, where they are further dispersed.

ipickmynose

The stadium is organized into six principal levels, broadly containing the following functions and zones:

• Level 0 Sports team rooms, VVIP and VIP reception, lowest parking level, medical and police facilities, waste collection and compaction.
• Level 1 Media areas, TV and radio studios, FIFA offices and sports event staff offices, and upper parking level.
• Level 2 Public Plaza Main concourse pedestrian access down to lowest tier and up to second tier, disabled person’s seating, fan shop, VIP welcome zone, concession stands.
• Level 3 Lower level of business club, multi-purpose hall, security and police offices, operator’s storage spaces, smaller food kitchens.
• Level 4 Upper level of business club, larger food preparation kitchens, stadium administration (operator’s) offices.
• Level 5 VIP lounges and private corporate boxes.
• Level 6 Upper concourse, concession stands and access onto third tier of seats.

The roof Is located above the highest level of seats, and contains an accessible roof including the ‘Ring of Fire’ lighting and media zone, with catwalk access into and through the roof structure.

Bruce Sutherland, City of Cape Town

This multi-purpose venue is also going to be used to stage major events and concerts. Fans will be a stone’s throw from the ocean and the mountains of Cape Town will also provide the backdrop for matches. The location is ideal as it is a short walk from the transportation hub of the city. The new stadium has been partly built on land that was previously used as a golf course.

JOENKIKE

Project: Soccer City Stadium
Author: Boogertman & Partners, Populous
Location: Johannesburg, South Africa
Opened: 1989
Renovated: 2009
Expanded: 2009
Owner: The Stadia and Soccer Development Trust
Operator: South African Football Association
Surface: Grass
Capacity: 94,700
Images: JOENKIE
SHINE
ChuckAitch

Shine 2010 – 2010 World Cup good news

Shine 2010 - 2010 World Cup good news

Soccer City Stadium, located in Johannesburg, originally built in 1987 will hold the opening match South Africa Vs. Mexico, four more first-round matches, one second-round match, one quarter-final, and the final in the FIFA World Cup 2010. It is famous because it hosted the first massive speech from Nelson mandela after his release from prision in 1990 and because thousands of mourners lamented Chris Hani’s assassination at the stadium in 1993. It was also the venue for the 1996 CAF African Cup of Nations final, with South Africa eventually triumphing 2-0 over Tunisia. For the FIFA World Cup 2010 the stadium has been completely renewed.

Shine 2010 - 2010 World Cup good news

Designed by Boogertman Urban Edge and Partners in partnership with Populous the stadium in Johannesburg has undergone a major upgrade for the 2010 tournament, with a new design inspired by traditional African pottery. The upper tier has been extended around the stadium to increase the capacity to 94,700 with an extra 99 Executive suites, an encircling roof has been constructed, new changing room facilities have been developed and new floodlights have been installed. The number of suites in this stadium has been increased to 195. The R1.5 billion tender to upgrade the stadium was won by Grinaker-LTA. The construction was completed on Wednesday, 21 October 2009. The completion was marked by a huge celebration at the stadium.

ChuckAitch

The facade of the stadium is designed to have the appearance of a calabash, an African pot, which is the most recognizable object to present what would automatically be associated with de African continetn. The cladding on the outside is a mosaic of fire and earthen colours with a ring of lights running around the bottom of the structure, simulating fire underneath the pot. No spectator will be more than 100 metres (330ft) from the action and there are no restricted views in the stadium.

Shine 2010 - 2010 World Cup good news

Shine 2010 - 2010 World Cup good news

Shine 2010 - 2010 World Cup good news

Shine 2010 - 2010 World Cup good news

Shine 2010 - 2010 World Cup good news

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