Mike Schlaich: "The shape of the roof will be spectacular"
Innovation is a mantra for 'schlaich bergermann partner,' the engineering firm that is a world benchmark in the design of roofs. Maracaná’s, Johannesburg’s Soccer City or Bucharest’s National, in which we won our second Europa League, carry their signature. In the Wanda Metropolitano, they will go a step further, from the design of Cruz y Ortiz.
Next 21st February, at 20:45, our players will play against Leverkusen one of the most important games of the season. It will be at the BayArena, with the qualification for the Champions League quarter-finals at stake, and under one of the biggest and most spectacular roofs of the world. The studio in charge of its engineering, 'schlaich bergermann partner' (sbp), will also oversee the Wanda Metropolitano’s. A world-renowned company that is a guarantee of success and innovation for our new stadium.
More than 30 years of experience support this multinational engineering firm that works as a consultant for multiple construction projects. The first project in the sport sector for sbp was the roof of Munich's Olympic Stadium in 1972. Since then, dozens of structures around the world carry their signature. From Brazil, with the new Maracaná as the primary reference, to Abu Dhabi, Vancouver or China.
In fact, Bayer Leverkusen’s will not be the first venue conceived by this engineering firm in which we have played. When Antonio López raised our second Europa League to the sky of Bucharest in 2012, he did so under a roof designed by 'schlaich.' The Spanish national team also won the World Championship in Johannesburg under a structure designed by this firm.
All these projects went through a constructive milestone at their time, something that the Wanda Metropolitano is on the verge of experiencing. The works are advancing at a great pace in our new stadium and in the next days, we will be able to see the raising of the traction ring of the roof.
Despite having more than 30 years of experience in roofs for first line sports venues, for sbp, the Wanda Metropolitano is a unique project due to its innovative nature. "We are proud to be able to work with Atlético de Madrid. It’s an honour for us. And it’s also a pleasure to work with Cruz y Ortiz, great architects that I highly appreciate. We already collaborated with them in the Cartuja stadium, in which we introduced for the first time the solution of placing the membrane of the roof in a zigzag shape, like we are going to do in the Wanda Metropolitano. Nevertheless, for Atlético de Madrid, we have done a new design, unique because of the distribution of the cables, and much more complex and interesting, which means 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," he notes.
Mike Schlaich, partner of the engineering firm sbp, advances that the process that is about to begin in the construction work is going to be "spectacular".
To explain it, the renowned German engineer resorts to the structure of the bicycle wheel. "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 compression ring is already in place in the highest part of the stands. Now, we have to raise the two traction rings that will be the ones over the pitch, creating that typical oval shape at the centre of stadiums’ roofs. This process is called 'Big lift.' It is construction engineering of the highest level," he indicates.
The cover will be very stable, slender and elegant
Mike Schlaich, partner of 'schlaich bergermann partner'
The configuration of the stands will make the roof not be horizontal, instead, it will raise to cover the stands of the west side, the highest. A distinctive feature that will provide the construction with even more personality. "It has been a challenge to work on a building with different heights. The shape of the roof will be spectacular,” assures Mike Schlaich.
The magnitude of the numbers proves it. The roof will measure approximately 286 meters between the north and south ends and 248 meters between the east and west sides. Its total surface will be of about 46,500 square meters. An iconic structure for the new home of all the Atléticos.
