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NELSONMANDELABAY STADIUM OPEN DAY
MEDIA CONFERENCE: THURSDAY, 28 MAY 2009, 6TH FLOOR KWANTU TOWERS
ABOUT THE NELSON MANDELA BAY STADIUM
It’s official: the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium will be the first stadium in South Africa that will be complete in preparation for the 2010 FIFA World Cup South AfricaTM.
NelsonMandelaBay will be one of nine Host Cities for the 2010 FIFA World Cup South AfricaTM from 11 June to 11 July 2010. Eight games, including a third and fourth place playoff and a quarter final, will take place at the NelsonMandelaBay stadium.
In accordance with FIFA stipulations, at least three test events must be hosted at the Stadium where the conditions, procedures, rules and regulations that would apply at the time of the World Cup, must be enforced. This allows the patrons of the Stadium to become used to the procedures, as well as the HostCity to assess the Stadium’s state of readiness.
Two of the test events are the British & Irish Lions rugby match against an Eastern Cape XI on 16 June and the Vodacom Challenge between Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates on 23 July.
The first test event will be an Open Day on Sunday, 7 June 2009. The Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality believes it to be its moral duty to grant first access to the Stadium to the residents of Nelson Mandela Bay and the Eastern Cape Province, whom we regard as the “Stadium’s rightful owners.”
The 'Open Day' will afford the Municipality the opportunity to test the stadium’s operations and technical competencies in accordance with FIFA requirements and, most importantly, will afford the owners (residents) of the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium the opportunity to inspect its state-of-the-art facilities.
The Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium has an eye-catching, unique roof-structure and a spectacular view, overlooking the NorthEndLake. There are not many stadia in the world that are designed and constructed overlooking a lake; this in itself is a very distinctive feature of the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, in addition to its striking design.
The overall cost of the construction of the stadium is estimated at approximately R2,1-billion. The roof material of the stadium consists of a combination of aluminium cladding, combined with a membrane material called PTFE (polytetraflurethylene), which is a coated glass-fibre fabric and steel super structure.
The total length of piles installed is 21 km and the material excavated is 138 000m3 (cubic metres). The stadium will seat 46 000. The stadium building is approximately 40m high and consists of six levels on the western side in addition to five on each of the north, south and east stands. Two big viewing screens have been installed for the live viewing of events as well as two conference rooms, which are able to accommodate 200 people will be situated on the 5th level.
There are four ramps for easy wheelchair access, 74 toilet blocks as well as 32 colour coded turnstile gates. There are 23 private boxes with a planned additional 22 private boxes, including two bars, as part of the post World Cup building. All aspects of the project have factored in energy efficiency as a key element. These include energy-saving designs, the building management system, and temperature control and reduced energy consumption rates. The bulk sewer and bulk water line, to service the stadium development has also been completed. The playing field (pitch) is natural grass with the outer and surrounding areas consisting of artificial turf. The laying of the pitch was completed in December 2008.
The first exhibition game took place on 11 March 2009 and an Open Day is scheduled for 07 June 2009 for residents of NelsonMandelaBay and the Province. The British and Irish Lions match will take place on 16 June 2009 and the Vodacom Challenge on 23 July 2009
Fast Facts about the NelsonMandelaBay Stadium:
Volume of material excavated / 138 000m3Volume of imported fill material / 110 000m3
Volume of concrete placed / 31 000m3
Steel reinforcement / 3 000t
Area PTFE membrane / 20 000m2
Area aluminum metal cladding / 20 000m2
Roof Steel Mass / 2 000t
Total length of piles installed / 21 km
Total length of pre cast seating installed / 12,7km
Height of the structure / 34m
Roof span / 46m
Stadium Capacity / 48 459
Total Floor Area / 55 000m2
Number of Rooms / 1 015
Number of Kiosks / 54
Number of Offices / 24
Number of Private Suites
Business Club (2) / 174
Number of Floodlights / 264
Total Length of ICT Cables / 450 km
Number of CCTV Cameras / 220
Number of Loud Speakers / 35
Number of Turnstiles / 64
Reply Screens (55m2) / 2
Score Boards / 2
The Building Industry has benefited a great deal due to the construction of the stadium. The implementation of this huge, fast track project has introduced several local role players to a new scale of development which will be beneficial to the local construction industry now and the future. The construction process has also included extensive use of local suppliers and experts in conjunction with international specialists, ensuring that adequate skills transfers take place.
An estimated total of 6 800 jobs were created throughout the process and the development of the stadium will result in the upliftment and urban renewal of the surrounding residential and commercial area of North End and the major routes leading to the stadium. The Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium will bring vast social and economic opportunities, during and after the World Cup.
NelsonMandelaBay will also receive major tourism exposure during and after the 2010 FIFA World Cup SATM. The progress of the stadium is updated monthly and can be viewed on a slide show on NelsonMandelaBay will without doubt be ready to host the largest sporting event in the world!
Photo Taken: 23 May 2009
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For further info:
Roland Williams
Director: Communications
NelsonMandelaBayMunicipality
079 490 0009