Birdair, Inc. Scores at the 2010 World Cup With Tensile Roofing

Birdair, Inc., the leading specialty contractor of lightweight long-span roofing systems and tensile structures throughout the world, has completed its work on three Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) World Cup stadiums in South Africa, including Cape Town Stadium, Moses Mabhida Stadium and Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.

Birdair served as roofing subcontractor and incorporated tensile roofing systems in the three sports facilities, each of which features its own unique roof design. Birdair was chosen due to its extensive experience and knowledge of complex design, engineering and construction of tensile roofing in stadiums across the globe.

The World Cup takes place from June 11 to July 11, 2010 and marks the first time the tournament will be hosted by a nation in the Confederation of African Football. To prepare for the World Cup, South Africa commissioned the building of five new stadia and the renovation of five existing sports facilities. Birdair was awarded contracts for three of the new venues.

“Birdair’s work in the World Cup illustrates the visual appeal and functional benefits that tensile architecture provides sports venues,” says Michele Roth, marketing manager for Birdair. “To comply with FIFA World Cup guidelines, each venue must provide shelter for spectators while meeting aesthetic, acoustic and environmental impact requirements. Soccer fans will have a comfortable viewing experience as tensile roofing promotes visibility and offers natural daylighting, solar shading and an open-air design.”

Cape Town Stadium

Cape Town Stadium features a combination of steel, cables, PVC (polyvinyl chloride) mesh and glass that form the 68,000-seat, six-level facility’s eye-catching tensile roof. Shaped like a bicycle wheel, the roof is made up of 340,000 square feet of PVC mesh liner and 1,600 tons of perimeter compression ring steel. Birdair also installed 365,000 square feet of glass to act as ballast to resist uplift forces caused by 40-50 mph winds and to act as a sound barrier to contain noise levels.

Moses Mabhida Stadium

Located in Durban, 70,000-seat Moses Mabhida Stadium features a stunning 500,000 square-foot tensile roofing system made from 208 separate PTFE (polytetrafluoroeethylene, or Teflon® fiberglass membrane panels. The roof’s pitch features a 1,100-foot long, 30-story arch that supports the 700 metric tons of cable net that make up the tensile roofing system. As an added benefit, patrons can ascend the arch by cable car for a bird’s eye view of the field.

Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium

This spectacular 50,000-seat, five-level venue in Port Elizabeth features approximately 230,000 square feet of PTFE coated fiberglass and 2,400 metric tons of roof girders to form the roof design. Valleys formed by the roof’s cable system will help drain rainwater. The 36 cantilever tresses that support the edges of each fabric panel are clad in aluminum.