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Istanbul Olympic Stadium

Istanbul Olympic Stadium

 

Hoping to host the 2004 Olympic Games, Turkey built an Olympic stadium seating 80,000, 50,000 in a covered area. This facility could have become the centre point of a whole Olympic village, a few kilometres from Istanbul.

Built on a 540-meter diameter circular base, the complex is set in a square area. From the access space, a ramp and two impressive staircases lead to an upper concourse: a kind of belvedere overlooking the surrounding landscape. From here the visitors can make their way up to the higher stands. Between the two access areas, 50,000 m2 of floor area are prepared to accommodate the complementary activities grouped on the west side of the stadium.

The 30,000 seats in the uncovered area are arranged in stepped rows supported directly on the ground, which has been partially excavated, and distributed around the sports arena. The sports arena, at the lowest level, is 12.4 meters below the natural ground level.

The two covered stands are opposite each other. The West stand is sheltered under a crescent-shape roof of nearly 16,400 m2, suspended by tie rods from two conical pillars made of concrete up to roof level, the top part being steel. The structure of the roof, anchored by means of four tripods, consists of a main lattice box-beam with an overall length of 196 metres, supported on the two pillars. At the back, a circular edge beam connects all the structural elements. A grey rubber lining on the top of the roof provides a water-tight seal, while the underside is made of white-painted steel panels, forming a flat surface.

The East stand is sheltered under a 9,000 m2 roof made of five lattice trusses with variable spans reaching 47.30 metres in the central part. These trusses follow the radius of the crown and are supported on a console fabricated with welded plates.

The roof structures of the West and East stands involve about 4,560 tonnes of steel -3,350 tonnes (205 kg/m2) and 1,210 tonnes (135 kg/m2), respectively. They were calculated on the basis of the loads they would have to withstand, i.e. their own weight and the loads resulting from climatic and seismic actions.

Both roofs, which were designed using different structural principles, give an asymmetric appearance to the stadium, which seems anchored in an evolving landscape.

Text: Eve Jouannais
Photograph: DR, Francis Vigouroux