Proceedings of the IASS-SLTE 2014 Symposium

“Shells, Membranes and Spatial Structures: Footprints”

15 to 19 September 2014, Brasilia, Brazil
Reyolando M.L.R.F. BRASIL and Ruy M.O. PAULETTI (eds.)

Unique Wide-Span Metal Roof Structures From the 1980 Moscow

Olympics to the 2014 Sochi Games
Pavel G. Yeremeyev, D. Tech. Sc, Prof.
Central Research Institute for Building Structures
109428, Russia, Moscow, 2-nd Institutskaya, 6,
eremeevpg@rambler.ru

Abstract
A great number of unique wide-span structures, such as stadiums, sports centers, multipurpose public buildings,
have been built in Russia from 1980 until now. Recently, more than 30 new stadiums and covered arenas have
been or are being built for the 2014 Winter Olympics and the 2018 Football World Cup.
The article includes a review of the most unique buildings with spatial metal roof structures with a span of up to
300 m. New forms, materials, design and construction methods emerged in the last decades due to the onrush of
technology. Unique wide-span structures have high criticality rating and their failures can have severe economic
and social consequences. Therefore, there is a need to analyze the available experience in the design, erection
and operation of wide-span spatial structures in order to determine the main trends in the design and construction
of such buildings and define new requirements and recommendations. Experience in the design of such
buildings, calculations and providing scientific and technical support is summarized. It is necessary to take into
account additional requirements for nomenclature and volumes of researches, installation specification and
requirements for design, manufacturing and erection of structures, rules of their acceptance and operation. In
view of the above, there are additional requirements for the scope and types of necessary surveys and design
activities, for fabrication and installation of structures and for acceptance and operation procedures that should
be taken into consideration.

Keywords: wide-span structures, metal structures, spatial roof structures, research, conceptual design,
fabrication, installation.

A great number of unique wide-span structures, such as stadiums, sports centers, multipurpose public buildings,
have been built in Russia from 1980 until now. Recently, more than 30 new stadiums and covered arenas have
been or are being built for the 2014 Winter Olympics and the 2018 Football World Cup. Below is a brief
overview of the most interesting structures.
1. Metal membrane structures are one of the most efficient types of spatial roof structures. Such structures
consist of a shell made of thin metal sheets suspended from a supporting structure. The distinctive features of
this system is the strength of a spatial thin shell is used to the fullest possible extent and that a single material
functions as both bearing structure and building envelope. A membrane with a thickness of up to 5 mm can span
more than 300 m and have different shapes in plan view. The shape of a thin-sheet envelope can have zero
Gaussian curvature (cylinder, cone), positive Gaussian curvature (sphere, elliptic paraboloid) and negative
Gaussian curvature (tent, saddle, hyperbolic paraboloid). A membrane roof can also be a combination of
envelopes with the same or different geometries. Membrane structures are easy to fabricate and install and have
minimum overall height. Thin-sheet strips with a width of up to 12 and sufficient length to cover the span are
prefabricated and delivered to a construction site in coils. The operating principle of membrane system is most
similar to stayed systems but the former have better deformation properties as well as better reliability due to a
spatial load distribution.
The tensile loads created by a spanning structure are born by footing which is in compression and bending. The
footing works together with the membrane which ensures its stability. Rational loading of the footing is one of
the key tasks in the design of thin-sheet roofs. The task is accomplished by proper selection and matching of the
roof surface shape and contour. Since membranes are lightweight and have low flexural rigidity, their resistance
to deformations need to be improved. Various means can be used to stabilize a roof: its own weight, ballast or
suspended equipment which create tensile stresses in the membrane to resist wind suction loads and decrease the

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 Proceedings of the IASS-SLTE 2014 Symposium
“Shells, Membranes and Spatial Structures: Footprints”

ratio of live load to dead load; adding reinforcing ribs with sufficient flexural rigidity to the roof; pre-stressing
the membrane by various means depending on the roof shape.
A number of studies of membrane structures have been carried out, a calculation technique has been developed,
onsite observations have been conducted resulting in technical solutions as well as design and installation
guidelines. A number of structures with membrane roofs, including those for the 1980 Olympics in Moscow,
have been erected and used with good results [1, 2, 3, 4].
1.1. Covered multifunctional Olympic Stadium in Moscow (Fig. 1) with plan dimensions of 224 by 183 m, an
area of more than 30,000 m2, and permanent stands for 35,000 spectators [5]. The stadium can be divided into
two parts by an acoustic partition. The oval building is covered with a 5-mm membrane roof. The membrane is
reinforced with a spoke-ring system which was used for the membrane installation. During the normal operation
of the stadium, the system is used to suspend various equipment. The membrane footing is a monolithic
reinforced-concrete ring in a metal formwork with section dimensions of 5 by 1.75 m. The membrane is
designed for a load of 10 kPa (1.45 psi) in the center and 3.5 kPa (0.51 psi) at the edges.

Figure 1
1.2. Krylatskoye Velodrome (Moscow) with plan dimensions of 168 by 138 m and a shape close to an ellipse. Its
4-mm membrane roof consists of two saddle-shaped thin-sheet parts (Fig. 2) attached to arches with a span of
168 m. Inner arches do not have intermediate supports and are combined into a spatial unit. Outer arches are
supported by cantilevers of the stands in the middle of the span. The arches are made of steel and have a box-
shaped section with dimensions of 3 by 2 m.

Figure 2
1.3. Universal Ismailovo Sports Palace (Moscow) consists of several sectors: the main arena with dimensions of
66 by 72 m and two practice halls with dimensions of 36 by 36 m. Each sector is covered with a 2-mm stainless
steel membrane (Fig. 3). Membrane footing is a hybrid precast and in-situ concrete structure with section
dimensions of 0.5 by 6.0 m. The membrane was welded out of prefabricated strips with a width from 9 to 12 m
on the ground and lifted by winches along the corner columns to the design position.

Figure 3
The critical structures of all Olympic facilities have been monitored for 35 years enabling timely repairs and
justified extension of their safe operation periods.
1.4. Covered Speed Skating Center (Moscow Region, 2006) has an oval shape with dimensions of 200 by 110 m.
The roof is made of 4-mm saddle-shaped membrane (Fig. 4). The footing with a rectangular 1.2-by-2-m section
is a steel trough filled with concrete. Longer sides of the footing rest on two arches with a span of about 75 m;
the other parts of the footing are supported by hinged props spaced about 12 m apart.

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 Proceedings of the IASS-SLTE 2014 Symposium
“Shells, Membranes and Spatial Structures: Footprints”

Figure 4
1.5. Membrane roof of the Ice Sports Palace (Angarsk, 2010) has a cylindrical shape with plan dimensions of 90
by 87 m (Fig. 5). Closed monolithic reinforced concrete footing consist of two linear and two curved elements.
The footing corners are reinforced with struts.

Figure 5
2. Some roofs use a combination of elements in tension and elements in compression and bending [6, 7]. Such
hybrid systems have shorter elements in compression and bending and make better use of tension elements made
of high-strength metal. The structure also has better resistance against uneven loads. There are many types of
such hybrid systems. Even the simplest ones provide for a broad choice of designs, materials as well as
fabrication and installation techniques. Basic combinations are joined into complex spatial structures by various
means.
2.1. Gostiny Dvor in Moscow [8] has a shape of an irregular quadrangle. In 1998, its courtyard with sides
measuring 56, 187, 84 and 164 m and an area of 1,500 m2 was covered with a transparent glass roof (Fig. 6)
whose bearing hybrid structures form a cylindrical surface and consist of a curved upper chord made of H-beams
which is in compression and bending, a lower chord made of steel strips which is in tension and two V-shaped
posts between the chords with hinge joints.

Figure 6
2.2. A similar system was used in 2005 for Kazan Indoor Football Arena (Fig. 7) which has an oval shape (178
by 90.7 m). The roof has a spatial system of rods in the center as its core. Standard hybrid two-chord steel trusses
connect to the core. The elements are connected by links into a rigid disk.

Figure 7
2.3. Lokomotiv Football Stadium with an oval shape (205.7 by 157.3 m) capable of holding 29,000 people was
built in Moscow in 2001 (Fig. 8). All stands are protected by roofs (with a projection of 50 m) suspended on four
cable trusses (Fig. 10). Reinforced-concrete pylons (with a height of about 50 m) were erected in the stadium

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Published by the International Association for Shell and Spatial Structures (IASS) with permission.
 Proceedings of the IASS-SLTE 2014 Symposium
“Shells, Membranes and Spatial Structures: Footprints”

corners. Pairs of guys (with a diameter of 140 mm) are attached to the pylon tops. Slanting cables with a
diameter of 50 mm attached to the guys in pairs hold the roofs [9].

Figure 8
2.4. Covered Speed Skating Center ( Moscow, 2003) has a shape of circular segment with a radius of 117 and a
central angle of ~1600 (Fig. 9). The roof is made of standardized composite wood-and-metal trusses. A system of
radial trusses (two 50.4-m spans) with a ring beam in the center was suspended on 19 cables transferring the load
to the foundation via a central steel pylon (with a height of 50 m) and its two guy-wires.

Figure 9
2.5. Ice Sports Palace (Moscow, 2005). A cylindrical building with a diameter of 100 m and a height of 50 m
(Fig. 10). Suspended grid consists of an outer footing, inner ring and a system of radial and annular flexurally
rigid members with diagonal links.

Figure 10
3. A number of wide-span sports facilities have been built for the 2014 Olympics in Sochi.
3.1. Fisht Olympic Stadium with a capacity of 50,000 (Fig. 14) has an oval shape (285.0 by 240.0 m). The main
elements of the roofs overhanging the stands are two main latticed arches with a span of 285 m and a height of
70 m. Secondary semi-arches made of curvilinear flat trusses with spans from 18.0 to 71.0 m are erected in
perpendicular direction to the main arches (approximately 28 m apart). The semi-arches rest on the reinforced-
concrete frame of the stands on the side opposite to the field. The main arches and semi-arches are linked with a
system of cross-trusses.

Figure 11

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 Proceedings of the IASS-SLTE 2014 Symposium
“Shells, Membranes and Spatial Structures: Footprints”

3.2. Iceberg Skating Palace in plan is a rectangle with rounded corners. Its roof (117.0 by 90.0 m) is a spatial
structure in the form of radial tied arches (Fig. 12).

Figure12
3.3. Bolshoy Ice Dome (Fig. 13) of an oval shape in plan (190 by 140 m) with a latticed dome.

Figure 13
3.4. Adler Arena Skating Center (Fig. 14) and Shaiba Ice Arena (Fig. 15) with space truss roofs.

Figure 14

Figure 15
4. A number of stadiums with roofed stands have been designed and are being (have been) build for the 2018
Football World Cup.
4.1. Football Stadium in Kazan with 45,000 seats is a circle (with a diameter of 250 m) with a central rectangular
cut. The roof shape is part of a cylinder (Fig. 19). Bearing metals structures over the stands consist of footing and
cantilever trusses. The footing is a spatial closed three-chord truss (197.4 by 161.5 m) which is supported
through hinge joints by eight reinforced-concrete pylons at the stadium corners. The footing supports cantilever
trusses with projections from 33.9 to 38.8 m spaced 15.3 m apart. The cantilever trusses are attached to props
along the perimeter. Construction was completed in 2012 (Fig. 16).

Figure 16

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 Proceedings of the IASS-SLTE 2014 Symposium
“Shells, Membranes and Spatial Structures: Footprints”

4.2. Spartak Stadium in Moscow with 42.000 seats. The stadium in plan is a rectangle with rounded corners (Fig.
17. Its plan dimensions are 219.7 by 179.1 m; height is 51.10 m. Metal structures include four main trusses
around the field. Longer trusses with a span of 217 m (height up to 22.5 m and width up to 13.25 m) run along
the football field. Shorter trusses with a span of 180 m (height up to 19.5 m and width up to 13.25 m) run in
perpendicular directions. The trusses are supported in eight points by reinforced-concrete pylons at the stadium
corners.

Figure 17
4.3. Gazprom Arena in St Petersburg with a capacity of 62.000 people seats has a transformable central part and
a movable field. The stadium in plan is a circle with a diameter of 295.7 m. Its maximum height is 56.6 m (Fig.
18). The metal structures of the fixed roof consist of a framework which has a shape of a biconvex lens with a
central aperture over the football field. The structure includes radical and annular trusses and links. The roof is
suspended on bearing cables and guy-wires from eight slanted steel pylons with a height of about 100 m.

Figure 18
4.4. VTB Arena in Moscow with 33,000 seats has an oval shape in plan with maximum dimensions of 300.0 by
187.0 m and a height of 66.0 m (Fig. 19). Its roof also covers an indoor arena with 13,000 seats.

Figure 19
4.5. CSKA Moscow Stadium with 36,000 seats of a rectangular shape in plan. The stands have roofs with a
shape of a hyperbolic paraboloid (Fig. 23). Its plan dimensions are 215.0 by 179.2 m. Overall width of the roof is
47.8 m, with cantilever projections of 38.8 m. Its bearing structures are cantilever trusses with guy-wires.

Figure 20

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 Proceedings of the IASS-SLTE 2014 Symposium
“Shells, Membranes and Spatial Structures: Footprints”

Experience in the design, construction and operation of wide-span spatial structures was generalized to provide a
number of recommendations.
A. Unique wide-span structures have high criticality rating and their failures can have severe economic and
social consequences. Therefore there are additional requirements for the scope and types of necessary surveys
and design activities, for fabrication and installation of structures and for acceptance and operation procedures
and these requirements should be taken into consideration.
B. Design should be based on sound design solutions with due consideration of the structure’s purpose,
architecture, fabrication and installation techniques and operating conditions. Any proposed ideas require
technical and economical validation.
C. Design of such structures involves problems not covered in regulatory documentation which requires
specialized knowledge and practical experience of the engineer. Creative generation of ideas is an important
feature of this work.
D. In order to improve the reliability of results, re-calculations using different software packages are
recommended. It should be kept in mind that there is a flip side to the use of the computer in that it increases the
risk of error. One needs a clear understanding of the structure functioning based on the principles of structural
mechanics.
E. Design should provide for emergencies and include measures to prevent progressive collapse.
F. Ensuring the high reliability of unique wide-span structures requires R&D support which usually includes the
following:
- giving recommendations on snow and wind load determination on the results of a model testing in a special
wind tunnel. Design climatic loads should take into consideration the operating life of the structure;
- recalculation for verification;
- in some cases, experiments with large-scale physical models to estimate the load-bearing capacity and
reliability of structures and verify the computational model and computation technique;
- developing Fabrication and Installation Specifications with additional requirements not covered in the existing
regulations;
- technical monitoring during construction and first years of operation.
References
1. Yeremeyev P., et al. Membrane spatial metal structures. Bulletin of the IASS, # 79, 1981.
2. Yeremeyev P., Kiselev D. Thin-Sheet Metal (Membrane) Suspended Roof Structures. International Journal of
SPASE STRUCTURES Vol.10. # 4, 1995.
3. Yeremeyev P. Development and analysis of technical solution variants for a number of unique structures with
thin-sheet suspended roofs. Proceedings of the IASS Symposium. Stuttgart/Germany, vol. II. 1996.
4. Yeremeyev P. Spatial Thin-Sheet metal of roofs structure. M. 2006. (in russian).
5. Yeremeyev P. Thin-Sheet metal shell of large-span roof of universal stadium in Moscow. IASS-CSCE
International Congress, Montreal, Canada, 1992.
6. Yeremeyev P. Modern large-span steel structures unique building. M. 2009. (in russian).
7. Yeremeyev P.G. The manual on designing of wide-span roofs modern metal structures. M. 2011. (in russian).
8. Yeremeyev P., Kancheli N. Large-span transparent roof for “Gostiny Dvor” complex in Moscow.
Proceedings of the IASS International Congress, Moscow, Russia, vol. II. 1998.
9. Yeremeyev P., Kiselev D., Savelyev V. Steel Carrying Structure of the Roof over the Lokomotiv Moscow
Stadium Stands. Proceeding of the Fifth International Conference on Space Structure, vol.2. 2002.

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Published by the International Association for Shell and Spatial Structures (IASS) with permission.