SA Roofing November 2018 // Issue 106 | Page 30

REGULARS: QUALITY INSIGHT World Cup stadium is top of the table Palram’s polycarbonate roofing system scored the highest points in the design of Russia’s riveting Nizhny Novgorod Stadium. By Tamir Horesh, head of Palram Projects | Photos by Palram Nizhny Novgorod Stadium required a unique roofing solution that would withstand Russia’s extreme winter conditions. I n 2010 when Russia won the bid to host the FIFA World Cup, it was tasked with the unfathomable mission to build 12 world-class stadiums by 2018 – some of which were only completed a few months before the opening ceremony. So, when the designers of the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium required a unique roofing solution that would withstand Russia’s extreme winter conditions, Palram’s polycarbonate roofing system provided them with the win they needed. The city of Nizhny Novgorod is located about 400km east of Moscow, and the 28 NOVEMBER 2018 CLADDING // CONCRETE // INSULATION // STEEL // THATCH // TIMBER // TRANSLUCENT // WATERPROOFING // COMPONENTS stadium was built in an area known as the Spit (Strelki), at the confluence of the two major rivers: the Volga and the Oka. The Nizhny Novgorod Stadium hosted five games in the group stages and the round of 16, including Croatia’s surprising win over Argentina, and also hosted the quarter-finals match between France and Uruguay. Following FIFA, the stadium will once again belong to the city’s home team – FC Olimpiyets Nizhny Novgorod. It will also hold concerts and large-scale events. For this reason, the designers wanted this stadium to be designed so it’s available for use all year round. Winter temperatures in Nizhny Novgorod can reach an average low of -13 Celsius, and it is situated in a region with extreme snowfall. In December 2017 alone, the city experienced 48.5cm of snow, falling for 24 consecutive days. The designers of the stadium were looking for a roof that could withstand an unusually high snow load of up to 450kg/m 2 and wind loads of up to 200kg/m 2 . This means that the roof needs to be extremely strong and resilient and at www.saroofing.co.za