JOHANNESBURG’s Soccer City is one of the most spectacularly beautiful buildings to rise from the 2010 World Cup stadium construction boom. And in one important construction detail it has epitomized the creative architectural value of the pre-stressed hollow-core concrete panel system.

Echo Prestress says it has also demonstrated – in an international showcase setting - the important economic benefits inherent in its concrete panel system.

Design of the 89 958-seat stadium, which won the prestigious Fulton Award for “concrete in architecture,” was inspired by the African calabash cooking pot, a shape symbolizing the melting pot of African cultures.

The largest stadium in Africa, Soccer City sits on a raised podium, on top of which is located a “pit of fire”. As in village life, the calabash seems to sit in a shallow depression, giving the effect that it is being naturally fired. The concrete roof above the “pit of fire”, painted in a vivid burnt orange colour, seems to reflect the flames of an actual fire when illuminated at night.

A tight construction timetable required Echo Prestress to install  6 000m² of 150mm deep, 4,5m-long pre-stressed hollow-core concrete panels for the stadium kiosks and entrance areas within a tight delivery schedule and budgetary constraints, says  Echo Group technical director Daniel Petrov.

Demanding timetable

The slabs were supported by raked steel beams and placed at an angle following the line of the beams to form the roof of the kiosks and entrances. The slabs between the steel supports are confined between end-stops, restricting lateral movement. All were screeded and waterproofed to architectural detail.

“The Echo slabs met the architectural and structural engineering requirements,” Petrov added. “In previous years, stadium kiosks have traditionally been built in in-situ concrete. At Soccer City, however, consistent product quality and efficient delivery arrangements helped the contractor to reduce his demanding installation timetable.”

The benefits of using the Echo Prestress panels – typically the speed and ease of construction - were once again illustrated at Soccer City.

“No form-work or propping was required, so there was no inconvenience such as restricted access, which would certainly have otherwise been the case,” Petrov said. “Once the slabs were installed, access to work spaces was totally clear, and the installation of gates and turnstiles was also able to go ahead without restriction by props.

“Soccer City is a “brilliant world-class setting in which to display the benefits of Echo’s prestressed concrete slab system.”