18 Jun 2004
LEXAN® THERMOCLEAR® SHEET SELECTED FOR STADIUM ROOFS FOR THE UEFA EURO 2004™ TOURNAMENT IN PORTUGAL
LEXAN SHEET PROVIDES EXCELLENT LIGHT TRANSMISSION, HIGH IMPACT RESISTANCE AND GOOD WEATHERABILITY FOR STADIUM ROOFS AND REQUIRES MINIMUM MAINTENANCE
BERGEN OP ZOOM, The Netherlands — June 9, 2004 — Whether a design demands either transparent or light diffusing materials, GE Advanced Materials Structured Products’ LEXAN® polycarbonate sheet remains a popular choice for stadium roofing and other associated stadium applications. One of the best and most recent examples of this is the specification of LEXAN® THERMOCLEAR® sheet as the roof glazing material for six of the stadiums that host the UEFA Euro 2004™ football tournament in Portugal. LEXAN THERMOCLEAR sheet provides excellent light transmission, high impact resistance and good weatherability – and will require minimal maintenance. For these particular stadiums, more than 74,000m² of both side UV protected LEXAN THERMOCLEAR sheet has been installed at the six venues In Portugal.
Extremely suitable as roof glazing material is the recently developed multi-wall LEXAN THERMOCLEAR X-structure. The X-structure sheet is UV-protected on both sides and has a unique X-shaped internal configuration that gives it its excellent stiffness, improved load resistance, high impact strength and good thermal insulation properties.
The massive programme of investment and rebuilding of stadiums for the UEFA Euro 2004 included:
Lisbon, Luz stadium
Luz is Portugal’s biggest stadium with a fully covered seating capacity for 65,000 spectators. It incorporates a series of high quality facilities and has been especially designed to withstand long-term exposure to sunlight and harsh weather conditions. To meet these criteria, the HOK architectural bureau specified the double-sided UV light protection provided by 32mm thick LEXAN THERMOCLEAR X-structure sheet for the roof’s glazed area of 10,600m².
“The stadium roof glazing industry is demanding new materials with performance properties that go beyond anything currently available,” explains Damon Lavelle, lead architect of the Luz stadium project for HOK, “and LEXAN THERMOCLEAR X-structure sheet with its superior stiffness characteristics, high infrared sun ray absorption while maintaining light transmission was the only material that supplied us with the combined properties that we were looking for in this project.”
GE Advanced Materials Structured Products and HOK had previously worked together on the Sydney Olympic Stadium project, where 27,000m² of 16mm LEXAN THERMOCLEAR sheet was used for the most challenging engineering feature of the stadium, the 300-metre span roof structure. Suspended from a huge arch structure, the roof is constructed from a translucent grade of polycarbonate to minimise any shadows and patches of direct sunlight on the sporting area. Its light, steel and sheet combination structural weight of 85kg/m² (the sheet weight is only 3kg/m²) provides spectators with protection from the weather, whilst reducing the wind resistance for the participants on the field.
Porto, Dragão stadium
The opening game of the tournament will be held at the Dragão stadium. It has a 50,000-seat capacity, incorporates 280 tonnes of metal in its structure and has an array of pillars to support its translucent roof, which has been termed a veil because of its impressive design. The roof incorporates 35,200m² of LEXAN THERMOCLEAR X-structure that for this installation is 32mm thick and has UV protection on both sides.
Leiria, Dr Magalhães Pessoa stadium
The seating capacity at this stadium has been increased from 11,000 to 30,000. The architect’s product of choice to cover this new seating area is LEXAN THERMOCLEAR sheeting and more than 10,000m² of the 25mm-thick both side UV protected sheet has been installed.
Aveiro, Municipal Aveiro stadium
The Aveiro Municipal stadium has been completely reconstructed in a breathtaking design to accommodate over 30,000 spectators. More than 7,600m² of LEXAN THERMOCLEAR Plus sheet, 25mm thick, has been used to cover the roof of the complete seating area. The Thermoclear Plus grade of LEXAN provides excellent stiffness and double-sided UV protection, and was supplied in special sheet lengths of more t
Reader enquiries
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Helen Vandebovenkamp
helen.vandebovenkamp@ge.com
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Fax: +31 164 29 10 66
Netherlands
Notes for editors
GE Structured Products
GE Advanced Materials (GEAM) Structured Products, part of the General Electric Company, is the global leader in the manufacturing of high-performance LEXAN sheet and film products. GEAM Structured Products was established in 1968 with headquarters in the Netherlands. Employing more than 600 people in 13 production facilities globally with three production sites in Europe: Vienna/Austria, Milano/Italy and Bergen op Zoom in the Netherlands. Our portfolio of LEXAN products is used in thousands of applications and industries as diverse as building and construction to telecommunications.
GE Advanced Materials
GE Advanced Materials is a world leader in providing materials solutions through engineering thermoplastics, silicon-based products and technology platforms, and fused quartz and ceramics. Headquartered in Pittsfield, Mass., GE Advanced Materials is the combined entity of GE’s former Plastics, Silicones, and Quartz businesses. Its offerings include:
• Silanes, specialty silicones, urethane additives, adhesives, sealants, caulks, resins, and elastomers for a variety of vertical markets such as personal care, automotive, tire and rubber, construction, healthcare, electronics, household and institutional, agriculture, textiles, appliances, bedding and furnishings, and foam control, as well as the consumer “do-it-yourself” market (www.gesilicones.com);
• Engineering thermoplastics resins serving customers in a variety of industries including aerospace, appliances, automotive, building and construction, data storage and optical media, medical, electrical and electronics devices, telecommunications, computers and peripheral devices, outdoor vehicles and devices, and packaging (www.geplastics.com);
• High-purity quartz and advanced ceramic materials for the semiconductor, telecommunications, lighting, electronics, personal care, and water purification industries. GE Advanced Materials is a leading supplier of quartz materials to the semiconductor industry (www.gequartz.com).
LEXAN and THERMOCLEAR are registered trademarks of General Electric Company.
Euro 2004 is a trademark of the UEFA.
Related images
The opening game of the UEFA Euro 2004 tournament will be held at the Dragão stadium. It has a 50,000-seat capacity, incorporates 280 tonnes of metal in its structure and has an array of pillars to support its translucent roof, which has been termed a veil because of its impressive design. The roof incorporates 35,200m² of LEXAN® THERMOCLEAR® X-structure that for this installation is 32mm thick and has UV protection on both sides.
GE Advanced Materials Structured Products and HOK had previously worked together on the Sydney Olympic Stadium project, where 27,000m² of 16mm LEXAN THERMOCLEAR sheet was used for the most challenging engineering feature of the stadium, the 300-metre span roof structure. Suspended from a huge arch structure, the roof is constructed from a translucent grade of polycarbonate to minimise any shadows and patches of direct sunlight on the sporting area. Its light, steel and sheet combination structural weight of 85kg/m² (the sheet weight is only 3kg/m²) provides spectators with protection from the weather, whilst reducing the wind resistance for the participants on the field.
Luz is Portugal’s biggest stadium with a fully covered seating capacity for 65,000 spectators. It incorporates a series of high quality facilities and has been especially designed to withstand long-term exposure to sunlight and harsh weather conditions.
To meet these criteria, the HOK architectural bureau specified the double-sided UV light protection provided by 32mm thick LEXAN THERMOCLEAR X-structure sheet for the roof’s glazed area of 10,600m².
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