An impressive roof to make the Wanda Metropolitano

Last 28th of March, the first radial panel of the polytetrafluorethylene membrane was installed in the north end of the Wanda Metropolitano. The work was done at more than 40 meters of height, and lasted four months in which specialised workers unrolled, placed and tensed 96 panels of a material as resistant as light, designed to protect the stand of our new stadium. This Friday, the roof was finally closed over the Wanda Metropolitano, making true the original design of Cruz y Ortiz. The result is spectacular.

In an interview to the club’s web last March, the architects noted the importance of this structural element in the building’s project. "The roof is going to be responsible for a big part of the stadium’s image because the stadium is very dual, where the stands have a solid, almost fortress-like appearance; and covering that, the roof is placed with a very true lightness, and has that shape of a wave," Antonio Ortiz indicated. Antonio Cruz also noted the contribution to the atmosphere inside the building: "What these stadiums have is an enormous resonance. The sound of the audience is perceived and all the atmosphere involved in a football show. I think that it will be quite like a pressure cooker."

The engineering of the roof has been designed by schlaich bergermann partner, authors of other iconic roofs in the world of football such as Maracaná’s or Johannesburg’s Soccer City. The project that we can admire today originated from their collaboration with Cruz y Ortiz. Mike Schlaich, partner of the engineering firm, explained about the structure of the Wanda Metropolitano’s roof: "We have an exterior ring that we will call the compression ring and an interior one, the traction ring. They are joined by the spokes, which are tightened, which allows the wheel to do its function by compensating the tensions of compression with those that are tightening. The roof works in the same way, but horizontally and including a membrane. In the Wanda Metropolitano, we have a double compression ring and a double traction ring. The spokes cross towards the middle of the membrane, creating a very nice geometry. The result will be a very stable, slender and elegant roof."

FCC, the company responsible for the construction of the building, continues advancing on heat-sealing the seams between the panels and placing the membranes of the spectacular exterior projection that will cover the fans as they approach the main façade. Construction work that, once finished, will result in a roof that will scarcely weigh 6,300 tons (very light compared to other stadiums), it will range between 45 and 57 meters of height and will have a surface of 83,000 square meters. Impressive numbers for an iconic structure of the Wanda Metropolitano.